Empties #11

I haven't written an empties in four months, and I've used up a lot of products since then. Mostly of the hair variety, which has made me think twice about using so much in the shower! I'm only showing half the products in this post because we'd be here all day else. The others are what you've seen countless times before - Tresemme shampoo and conditioner, Aussie leave in conditioner, many shower gels, many packs of wipes, and even more shampoo and conditioner. The ones above are those I've barely mentioned on here before.

I managed to get the Organix Macadamia Shampoo and Conditioner for around £1 each (down from £6.99), which I was incredibly happy about. They smelt great and did their job, but that's about it. They didn't do anything amazing for my hair, and performed like my usual, cheaper branded shampoo and conditioner. I don't think they're worth the full price.

I've just finished the Aussie Mega Shampoo and Conditioner, and will likely repurchase. They smell delicious and are lightweight. They don't leave my hair as soft as the Tresemme Platinum Strength Range, but as they say on the packaging, they're more for everyday maintenance. 

I don't know what's happening with the Garnier Ultimate Blends Honey Treasures range. It's only recently been released, but now it's been taken off the shelves in my local Boots, and it's not online. I managed to buy two bottles of the conditioning treatment and two bottles of the serum for £3.17 the other day, thanks to the clearance stand and 3 for 2 offer, so I'm not complaining, but I am confused! Anyway, the Garnier Ultimate Blends Honey Treasures 1 Minute Treatment smelt yummy, like creme brulee, and made my hair soft. It didn't leave it 'omg my hair feels SO soft!' kind of soft, but it was still soft. I wouldn't pay the full price of £4.99 for it, but for 99p (one bottle was actually free with the 3 for 2 offer), I'm glad I have more.

Lush's Montalbano Solid Shampoo Bar, like every other product I've mentioned so far, smelt incredible. Straight up lemony goodness. After using it for so long, my hair felt a little stripped, but that's because it's a clarifying shampoo. It's probably best to use every few washes. My bar lasted about 5 weeks, and that's with me using it a lot (I really need to cut down). I'd definitely repurchase, but have another three bars to use first...

We all know how much I love Superdrug's Colour Effects Wash In Wash Out Conditioning Colours, and I've actually been through 6-8 bottles of the True Chestnut and Mahogany shades since my last empties post, but I wanted to talk to you about the new Burgundy Red one. It's red. Like really red. It's so much more intense than the other shades, taking just one application to really make a difference. I didn't mind it, but will be sticking to my usual ones in the future.

I also wanted to discuss Superdrug's Colour Episode Non Permanent Hair Colours. I actually used a couple of these, not just the red shade featured. They were okay, but they weren't any more intense or long lasting than the Colour Effects, they had less product in, and they were double the price. They're basically the Colour Effects in foam form.

I wasn't keen on the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara at first because I found it slightly clumpy, but liked it more when it started to dry up a little. I then managed to get two tubes for £1.80 each, instead of £9.99, so will clearly be using it again!

Two products you will have seen many times before on this blog - Maybelline's Rocket Mascara and The Body Shop's All in One Face Base. The mascara doesn't clump on me at all, and the powder offers some coverage with a velvety finish.

I didn't think the Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer was doing anything for my skin any more, but my skin became very oily on the day I didn't use it. It's been discontinued, unfortunately, so I'll be using my last bottle sparingly.

What's left? The Body Shop's Mango Shower Gel. I love anything mango scented, but had never used a mango shower gel until this. It smells just like the rest of the range (incredible) and it did its job!

Another The Body Shop product I finished was the Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter. I've declared my love for this before. It removes my makeup with ease and leaves my skin feeling super soft. I'm already on my next tub!

The Body Shop's Frosted Cranberry Hand Cream was also a winner. Non greasy, moisturing, and smelt like crisp berries.

Figs & Rouge is one of my favourite brands. Their packaging is cute, their products smell amazing, and they just work. The Figs & Rouge Mango Mandarin Hand Cream was not greasy in the slightest, but left my hands feeling very soft. I've since bought the large tube of this, but will probably buy the small one again for my bag.

Nearly there, I promise! I picked up Lush's Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Face Mask for free with their black pot exchange. It smells beautiful (like Palma Violets to me), and left my skin feeling cleansed. I didn't feel like it did much else, though. The quality of my skin wasn't vastly improved or anything. I also found it a challenge to use before it went off! 

If you've used any of these products before, I'd love to know your opinions on them.

Feel Unique Sale Purchases

Hello! It feels good to be blogging. Since starting my job, hobbies have taken a back seat. So, I placed an order with Feel Unique this week, and thought I'd show you what I bought!

You guys know that I'm a fan of the natural fragrance brand, Pacifica (I still can't get over the gift sets I managed to get for £3.75! They're £18 on Feel Unique, by the way). I'd had my eye on their reed diffusers for a while, but didn't want to pay £15. I then came across the Hawaiian Ruby Guava one in their sale for £7.50/120ml, so just had to buy it.

My hands have suffered since starting work, so I wanted a nice hand cream. I love Figs & Rouge, and love their Cherry Blossom lip balm, so thought I'd get the matching hand cream for £6.95/80ml. It smells just as good, and looks just as pretty, as the lip balm, so I can't wait to start using it. I also bought the Mango & Mandarin tube for £2.47/20ml (usually £3.95). It's small, but it's perfect for my bag, and smells incredible.

The next two items are products I already have and use daily, but after having them for years, they're beginning to dry out. They were discounted on Feel Unique, and there was a £5 off £20 spend code floating around, so thought it was the perfect time to buy new ones. The Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Intense Black was £5.99 down from £7.99, and the Maybelline Colour Tattoo Gel-Cream Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze was £4.49 down from £4.99.

Overall, I saved £16.58. There's also an extra 10% off sale items with code PLUS10 this weekend, so it's worth seeing what they have to offer!

Have you bought anything from Feel Unique recently? Or will you be?

Lip Product Collection and Storage

I don't know when this happened. One minute I'm rarely wearing lip products, and the next I'm having to buy a third container just to fit them in! I didn't realise how many I had until I gathered them together for this post. I used to wear nothing on my lips because I thought I looked like a child playing dress up when I did. However, I wear very little eye makeup and have pale lips, so without some form of colour on them, I can look a little...  ill. The lipstick holders are from here, and I'm very happy with them. I'm able to easily see every shade I have, without having them scattered across multiple surfaces in my room. They're currently just £2.99, which is an added bonus. I'm not going to go through every lip product with you, but I'm going to link the posts and reviews to some:

My Lip Crayon Collection (with links to individual reviews)

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick in Fraise Remix

Bourjois Shine Edition Lipstick in 1,2,3 Soleil

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya

NYX Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balms

Barry M Loud Mouth Extreme Liquid Lip Colours

What lip products would you recommend I try? I have some slots to fill!

Figs & Rouge Cherry Blossom Tinted Lip Balm

Natural lighting, flash

As soon as I laid eyes on the new lip balms from Figs & Rouge, I knew I had to try one. The other two varieties, Coco Rose and Mocha Orange, are shimmery, so I gave them a miss. Cherry Blossom sounded right up my street though.

How beautiful is the packaging? I think it's the prettiest product I own. The scent is delicious. It smells like sweets, but I can't pin point which ones. I thought it was going to smell more floral, so I was pleasantly surprised. As you can see in the third photo, the formula is thick, which I was pleased about. This means it stays on longer than other liquid lip balms. It's also tinted, and I love tinted lip balms. My lips are a very pale pink, so even this subtle tint shows up on me. I'm not sure how pigmented it will be on darker lips though.

This lip balm is normally £4.95, but it's currently on offer for £3.96 on the Feel Unique website (click here to view). They also have free delivery on all products. Although it's more expensive than your standard lip balm, I definitely think it's worth it. It's 100% natural, beautifully packaged, smells delicious, tinted, stays on for hours, and works. If the new Cherry Blossom hand cream smells like this, I'll be purchasing that too!

New Favourites

I thought I'd start writing 'New Favourites' posts instead of 'Current Favourites' or 'Monthly Favourites' because my favourites stay the same. These products are the products that have entered my 'favourite products' category. If you would like to see my other current favourites or monthly favourites, just read my previous posts :)

Treacle Moon - One Ginger Morning Shower Gel 500ml - £2.99 from Tesco

This smells like lime Starbursts! I love it so much. So much so that it's up there with the Original Source Lime Shower Gel - My all time favourite.

Palmers - Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion 200ml - £3.77 from Boots

I don't regularly moisturise my body, but when I do, I like an intense moisturiser. I normally prefer body butters, but this lotion is thick and moisturises just as well. The scent may be too sweet and heavy for the Summer months, but I still love it.

Exfoliating gloves - Mine were a couple of pounds from Superdrug, but you can get these from any Supermarket.

I've been using these to exfoliate my face a couple times a week and my face has never been so smooth and soft. Then, at night, I use an intense moisturiser or balm. It's doing wonders for my skin.

The Body Shop - Hand Cleanse Gels 60ml - £2.50 each

I've reviewed these here. Beautiful, true to name scents that are not alcoholic. Love them!

Lush - Vanilla Puff Dusting Powder 50g - £4.50

I've reviewed this here. I've mainly been using this as a dry shampoo, and it works brilliantly. The powder is fine, so it doesn't leave you with grey hair, and the scent is of a 'grown up' vanilla.

The Body Shop - Vitamin E Moisture Cream 50ml - £9

Every morning, before I apply my concealer, I use this under my eyes. It's light and sinks in well. I prefer using pots of moisturiser for some reason.

The Body Shop - Vitamin E Intense Moisture Cream 50ml - £11

I've reviewed this here. You know I said I use an intense moisturiser just now? This is the one I've been using. It feels like silk, absorbs well and leaves your skin incredibly soft.

ELF - Small Mineral Booster 5.1g - £5

I've just checked their website and this has increased in price! The small pot used to be £3.50 and the large pot was £5, but now the small pot is £5 and the large pot is £7. This leaves my skin looking matte and feeling soft, but I don't know if I'm going to repurchase it now. I think I'll repurchase it when they have a code floating around.

Figs & Rouge Balms - Pomegranate 17ml and Rambling Rose 8ml - £4.95 and £3.50 from Super Smoocher (Feel Unique and Boots also sell them)

I've reviewed these here. Beautiful packaging, delicious scents and very moisturising. They are also 100% natural and organic.

Have you tried any of these products? Let me know!

Figs & Rouge balms

Pomegranate - £4.95 from Feel Unique and Super Smoocher.

Rambling Rose - £3.49 from Feel Unique and £3.50 from Super Smoocher.

Feel Unique and Super Smoocher offer free delivery to UK addresses with any purchase. Boots also sell Figs & Rouge balms.

I've been loving these 100% natural and organic balms from Figs & Rouge (They will be making an appearance in my 'New Favourites' post - Keep an eye out!). The packaging is absolutely beautiful, and I must admit, one of the reasons that encouraged me to purchase them! The scents are great, too. The pomegranate balm has a subtle fruity scent. Rambling Rose has a stronger scent and smells similar to turkish delight. They have a grainy texture in the tins, but once they come in to contact with your skin, they are smooth. I've been using them on my face at night once or twice a week as a deep moisturising treatment. Because they are balms, they do leave a greasy residue on the skin, which is why I use them at night (Or during the day if I use them on my lips). I don't normally like tinned lip balms, but these are clear and suitable for the body, so I don't mind wiping the excess on my arm.

I've already used quite a bit of the Rambling Rose balm, so I may have to repurchase it in the near future!