Soap & Glory Christmas Gift Sets

Soap & Glory are known to have great Christmas gift sets, but only this year have I bought them. I think it's because 2014 has been the year I've really started loving their products. I still don't care for their classic scent, but am a fan of their Sugar Crush range, as well as their makeup and facial skincare. I'm introducing my mum to the brand by gifting her with three of the sets this Christmas, but thought I'd talk a little more about the two gifts I've bought myself! Because you have to treat yourself when Christmas shopping, right?

Soap & Glory Your Own Sweet Lime Gift Set - £10

They have a couple of these hatboxes available this year, and I think they're the perfect way to introduce someone to the range, or even give to someone who's already a fan. The products are also great for travelling. The main reason why I bought this, though, is because it contains a Sugar Crush Hand Food. A Sugar Crush Hand Food! I've been loving hand creams recently, and adore the sweet lime scent of Sugar Crush, so this is perfect. 50ml is a decent size, too.

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Crayons Gift Set - £16

These crayons (which are full sized) are £8 individually, so you're getting three for the price of two here. The shades included are Fuchsiaristic, Bashful, and Raplumzel. Fuchsiaristic is a bright pink, Bashful is a natural pink, and Raplumzel is a plum, hence the name. I already have Fuchsiaristic, and since they're individually wrapped, will be giving to a friend as part of her present. The crayons are sheer, but can be built up, and are incredibly balmy. I'd definitely recommend them.

The gifts, which can be found in Boots and start from £5, are also 3 for 2, so you can get a little more for your money. Will you be gifting a Soap & Glory set this year? Or do you plan on treating yourself to one?

A New Fragrance

When Burberry Body was released a few years ago, I only wore fruity body mists. It's only in the last few months that I've started wearing perfume on a daily basis, actually. So, when I received a sample of this, I was surprised by how much I liked it. It's not light and floral like my Marc Jacobs or Nina Ricci fragrances. It's more sophisticated and has top notes of green absinthe, peach, and freesia, heart notes of natural rose absolute, iris, and sandalwood, and base notes of woody cashmeran, creamy vanilla, sensual amber, and musk. It's warm, slightly sweet, and lasts for hours on the skin. I love it the most when the softer base notes come through because it's quite strong at first. Some have labelled it as an 'old' scent, but I don't think it is, and have read many comments from twenty-somethings sharing my opinion. Although I love my other fragrances, they don't last that long, so I'm definitely going to be looking at eau de parfums over eau de toilettes in the future.

I wanted to buy this perfume when it was first released, but it was a lot of money, and then I forgot about it. Then, about a week ago, I was browsing allbeauty.com when I came across it again. They have the eau de toilettes, eau de parfums, body milk, body spray, limited edition packaging, Intense, and Tender versions. I went for the original eau de parfum 85ml for £36.95 instead of £75 (they've now increased the price to £39.95). It's also available in rose gold packaging, but the bottle is opaque metal rather than glass, and I don't like it as much. I'm happy with the original packaging because it's simply beautiful!

I've bought a couple fragrances and makeup products from All Beauty now (formerly known as Cheap Smells), and I'd definitely recommend them. They've been cheaper than Fragrance Direct for the perfumes I've wanted, so it's worth comparing both sites before purchasing from one!

Have you bought anything from All Beauty before?

Empties #10

Mitchum Pure Fresh Deodorant Stick, £3.20-£3.35/41g, Boots or Superdrug

I rarely talk about deodorant on here because there's not much to say about it, but thought I'd mention this one because it's my new favourite. It comes in a stick formula, which is my favourite, it smells fresh (and also sherbety?), and keeps me dry and smelling clean. They're usually on offer for 2 for £4, too.

Aussie Miracle Hair Insurance Leave In Conditioner, £4.49/250ml, Boots or Superdrug

A classic. I've been through bottles and bottles of this stuff. It smells incredible and leaves your hair feeling soft.

No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes, £7/30 wipes, Boots

I would never, ever pay £7 for these, and I don't think anyone does. They're usually the product people pick up when the £5 off vouchers are floating around (which is regularly). They removed all my makeup easily enough and didn't dry my skin out, but then my Simple Baby Moisturising Wipes don't either (and they're a lot cheaper!). I've already bought another pack of these because I can get them for 42p with staff discount, but I wouldn't recommend them over any others.

Maybelline The Rocket Volum' Express Mascara, £7.99/9ml, Boots or Superdrug

One of my all time favourite mascaras. It darkens and lengthens my lashes, and doesn't clump, which is all I look for in a mascara.

Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly, £3.50/100g, Lush

I used to be a Lush Mystery Shopper, so bought this with the credit they gave me. It smells very fresh, which I love, but it's not something I'd buy again. It's expensive for what it is, and you end up wasting a lot of it. I can appreciate the gimmick, though, and think it's worth trying at least once!

Superdrug Face & Bikini Wax Strips, £4.29/20, Superdrug, review here

They remove the hair I want without irritating my skin, and that's all I can ask for! My hair grows so fast that I have to use these every couple of weeks, but I don't mind for the price. I usually buy them when they're on offer for 2 for £5 (which is now!)

Imperial Leather Foamburst Luxurious Body Wash in Moisturising Honey & Almond Milk, £3.15/200ml, Boots or Superdrug, review here and here

I love these body washes. I prefer the fruitier scents, but still enjoyed this one. It's slightly sweet, but still neutral, so I can see many people liking it. I usually buy them when they're on offer for £2, but definitely think they're worth the price.

Have you tried any of these products?

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara just £3.60 at Superdrug (for one day only!)

I know a lot of people are fans of this mascara, so thought I'd inform you of this fantastic deal. The Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara is just £3.60 for the next day on superdrug.com, instead of £9.99. Not only this, but it's also included in the current 3 for 2 on cosmetics deal, so you're able to buy three for just £2.40 each. It's also triple points on cosmetics and free delivery for those with a beauty card (otherwise delivery is £3 or free when you spend over £10).

I recently included this mascara in an empties and said I found it a little too clumpy in the beginning, but liked it after. I wasn't going to repurchase, but it's definitely worth the money at this price!

You can find the offer here. Let me know if you buy one (or three!).

UPDATE: It's now sold out on Superdrug, but you can get it on Feel Unique for £3.60 here (limited time!).

The Body Shop Haul

Just hours after publishing this post, I placed another order with The Body Shop. Two, in fact, to make the most of the £20 off £40 code (14320, ends 11.11.2014). They annoyingly upped their free delivery threshold to £30 instead of £20, so I had to pay two lots of postage (I couldn't use the code in my local store), but managed to get £40 off the products you see above. Most of them are presents, but I couldn't resist a couple things for myself!

Frosted Cranberry Treat Box £7

Frosted Cranberry Tubes of Treasures £15

Frosted Cranberry Body & Room Spray £7

Soft Hands, Warm Kisses Mango £7

Voyage Eau De Toilette Trio Gift £15

Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter £12

Japanese Cherry Blossom Mini Gift Set £8

White Musk Shower, Soften & Spritz Set £14

Will you be buying any of The Body Shop's Christmas gifts this year? I'll be buying a few more when the sales start!

Glamour Magazine December 2014 | Free Nails Inc Nail Polish, The Body Shop Gift Card, and 20% off H&M

I don't read magazines because you get more adverts than content. Every now and again, though, I can't resist the freebie, and this month's Glamour is a good'un. For £2, you receive a choice of four Nails Inc nail polishes (there's also a lighter red and purpley navy shade), a 20% off H&M card when you spend £20 or more, a sample of Pantene Pro-V Conditioner, and a The Body Shop gift card. 

I bought the magazine for the latter. On it will either be £3, £15, £100 or £1000. Both of mine have the code 38933, which I've worked out to be £3 from online comments. Still, £3 for a £2 magazine? I'm happy! You can only use it on full priced products, but there's plenty around £3-4 mark. I'm either going to buy a shower gel (RRP £4) or hand cream (RRP £3.50) with mine. There's no point buying something more expensive when there's always a code floating around that'll give you a bigger discount overall. 

One thing I will say, though, is that some people haven't received a gift card, and others have received two, so I think there were issues in production. People have been told to contact Glamour about this, but I'm not sure what's happening there. If you're planning on buying more than one, I'd suggest buying one first and seeing if there's a card inside, and then go back and buy the others (they're likely to be from the same batch).

Will you be buying a copy or two?

Empties #09

It used to take me months to gather enough products for an empties post, but that doesn't seem to be the case these days. In fact, I'm having to split this post in two because there's just too much to talk about!

Figs & Rouge Mango and Mandarin Hand Cream, £3.95/20ml, Feel Unique, review here

The packaging, scent, and formula were all beautiful and made this the perfect handbag product. It wasn't greasy in the slightest, but still left my hands feeling soft and moisturised. I don't think I'd pay the full price of £3.95 for 20ml, but will certainly repurchase when there's a discount or code.

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara, £9.99, Boots or Superdrug

Initially, I wasn't a fan of this. I just found it too clumpy for my liking. Then, once it'd dried out a little, it was perfect for a few weeks. Then it became too dry and clumpy again. For those few weeks, it separated my lashes and gave them length and volume, but I wouldn't repurchase because of the times either side.

The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter, £12/90ml, review here

The camomile cleansers from The Body Shop have become my all time favourites. My other cleansers don't compare, and I'm thinking about getting rid of them and just stocking up on this and the oil. They remove makeup so well and leave your skin incredibly soft. Even after months, I still get that same baby soft skin after using them every night. I love them both equally, but would recommend the butter if you travel.

Lush Mask of Magnaminty, £5.50/125g

First of all, I managed to get 20 uses out of this small pot, which is about 28p a time. So cheap. It also left my skin feeling thoroughly cleansed. I'm not sure if it helped with blemishes, but my sister thinks it helped hers. She's even bought her own pot, and she's not a fan of Lush!

Blistex Intensive Moisturiser, £2.63/5g Boots or £2.59/5g Superdrug (currently just £1.28, though!)

This is the best lip balm I've ever used, and the first I've actually finished. I apply it at night, and wake up with incredibly moisturised lips. It doesn't just moisturise the top layer of skin, like so many others do. Repurchase? Already have!

Nelsons Pure & Clear Blemish Gel, £7.40/10g, Feel Unique

This used to be sold in Boots, but I can't find it on the website any more. I managed to buy a tube on clearance for less than £2 a month or so ago, so I'm guessing they were removing it from the shelves. Anyway, I've always been unsure as to whether blemish gels work, but I can definitely see a difference when I use this. It just seems to calm and reduce spots. I prefer it over Lush's Grease Lightning, and the tube lasts for ages. This is another product that I've already repurchased.

Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer, £6.99/30ml, Boots

I've used and loved this before, but stopped using it to try others. Then I found it in Superdrug heavily reduced (I think they were discontinuing it), so picked up two bottles for just 87p each. My skin's so used to this now that the effects have become the norm. I don't remember what makeup applies like without it, but I do remember thinking this made it apply smoother when I first started using it. It also reduced the amount of creasing around my eyes. I won't be running out to repurchase another bottle just yet because I've been loving the blur effect primers recently, but it's something I can see myself going back to in the future.

Have you tried any of these products?

The Body Shop Purchases

The Body Shop currently have a sale and 40% off (when don't they?), so thought I'd repurchase a staple and try a couple other bits. I was quite restrained this time! I was tempted to buy another Camomile Cleansing Butter and the entire Frosted Cranberry range, but really need to use what I have first!

All in One Face Base in 02 - RRP £14, paid £8.40

This is my 4th one of these, and I love it. It has a little coverage and a velvety smooth, matte finish.

Vineyard Peach Body Scrub - RRP £12.50, sale price £6.50, paid £3.90

The one thing my stash is missing is body scrub because I normally just use exfoliating gloves. I love the rest of the Vineyard Peach range, so thought I'd give this a go (especially for the price!).

Frosted Cranberry Hand Cream - RRP £3.50, paid £2.10

I think the new Frosted Cranberry range is the same as the old Cranberry Joy one, or at least very similar. It's amazing. I thought I'd just get the hand cream for now, since it's something I've started using a lot in my job. The seasonal products that have just been released (Frosted Cranberry, Glazed Apple, and Vanilla Brulee) aren't actually included in the 40% off promotion, but it was applied to everything at the till. I'm not complaining!

I never used to buy products in store because I didn't realise the codes could be used at the tills. Even though you can get cash back online, I think I prefer being able to smell and swatch the products available. Have you bought anything from The Body Shop recently?