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.

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?

Bargain Beauty Haul

I've bagged some great bargains recently, especially in the last few days, so thought I'd gather them together and have a little ramble!

The first product is the Nina Ricci Nina perfume. I was going to buy this from Boots, but found it on allbeauty.com for £31.80 instead of £54. Although it's still not the cheapest perfume out there, I thought it was a great discount.

On top sits a set of three Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butters in Berry Smoothie, Strawberry Shortcake, and Peach Parfait (all shades I've considered buying in the past). I found this little gem in TK Maxx for £7.99, instead of £7.99 each. It's the first decent beauty item I've found in there! 

I bought the Maybelline Elixir in Mandarin Rapture in Boots yesterday. This retails for £6.99, but I used a couple of vouchers towards it. There's also a 3 for 2 on all Maybelline products at the moment, if you're interested. Apart from the slight shimmer (and it's only slight), I like this so far. It reminds me of the NYX Butter Glosses, in the sense that it's balmy, glossy, and still packs a punch of colour. Unfortunately, we don't have a huge shade selection over here in the UK, but there's still a couple of others I have my eye on.

The EOS Sweet Mint Lip Balm wasn't a huge bargain, but thought I'd include it here anyway. I bought it from Amazon for £3.91 including P&P, but they've now changed the price, so I'd suggest looking around yourself. I wanted to know if these hyped little balls were any good before buying a big value pack for presents. So far, so good. I'll keep you posted!

The Witch primers were on clearance in Superdrug for £1.75, and they were buy one get one free. Two primers for £1.75? Yes, please! The Superdrug Colour Effects Conditioning Colours (£1.49) were also buy one get one free, so I picked up a couple more.

I definitely didn't need any more wipes, but had a £5 No7 voucher to use, so thought I'd pick up the No7 Beautiful Skin Quick Thinking Wipes (£7). My staff discount on top made these just 42p. It would have been rude not to! I then bought the Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm (£9.50) with another voucher I had, and ended up paying just £2.36 for this. Lastly, on the No7 front, I bought the BB Lips Beauty Balms in Geranium and Blush Coral (£9 each). I had a £3 off voucher, and because I bought two makeup products, I received a free gift box. It contains a mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, and eyeshadow brush. The shades are ones my mum will love, so I'm going to give it to her as a present.

There's currently a 3 for 2 across all hair products in Boots, so I picked up the Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor (£4.99), the Naked Rescue Intensive Care Shampoo (£4.39), and the Naked Rescue Intensive Care Conditioner (£4.39). I also had 25% off and double points vouchers, making these even cheaper.

After I bought these (and annoyingly used my 25% off voucher), I noticed that the Organix Hydrating Macadamia Oil Shampoo and Conditioner bottles were on clearance for £1.75 each (down from £6.99). They also qualified for the 3 for 2 offer and discount, so I paid just £1.02 each. I think it was meant to be because there were just three bottles left, and two of them were shampoo (I go through more shampoo than I do conditioner).

Have you picked up any bargains recently?

Empties #05

Two Empties posts in a month! What is going on?! I must have been nearing the end of all my products at the same time. You probably won't see another for months after this.

The Body Shop Body Mists in Cranberry Joy and Mango 

I love fruity scents, so it was no surprise I loved these. I've already repurchased both! They're £7.50 full price, but there's always a great offer going on. I actually got the Cranberry Joy one in the sale, and there was a code on top of that, so ended up paying just £2.10.

The Body Shop Hand Cleanse Gel in Mango

I have every scent of these, and unsurprisingly, I finished the mango one first! Will definitely be repurchasing. They're £2.50 full price.

NSPA Lime Hair and Body Wash (review here)

Finally, a lime shower gel that's just as zesty, if not more so, than my beloved Original Source one. At £2 for 500ml from Asda, I'll definitely be repurchasing.

Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer

I finally finished this! It seemed to last an age. I liked it. Makeup went on smoother, and it prevented the concealer from creasing around my eyes. I will repurchase, but would like to try something new first. It's normally £6.99 in Superdrug, but currently on offer for £4.66, if you're interested.

Naked Rescue Intensive Care Conditioner 

At £4.19/250ml, Naked conditioners are more expensive than I'm used to paying, but I love them. They condition much better than other conditioners I've tried.

Superdrug Colour Effects Wash In Wash Out Conditioning Colour in Warm Chocolate Brown (review here) 

Do I really need to say anything here? At least one of these little bottles is featured in every Empties post! Warm Chocolate Brown wasn't as intense as the others, but still made my hair a little more rich and vibrant.

Biore Ultra Deep Cleaning Pore Strips

I had these for ages, as you can see by the old packaging! I wasn't impressed. They lifted a few blackheads, but that's it. I was expecting more. I've also heard they can rip your skin, but I never experienced this.

Have you tried any of these products?

Beauty Changes I've Made in the Last Year

The other day, I realised just how many beauty changes I've made in the last year or so! There are more than what I'm going to mention in this post, but the following are the main ones. I was thinking about writing a post on the changes I've made since blogging, but that post would be ridiculously long! I've probably changed everything about my routine since three and a half years ago.

First of all, I started to use hot cloth cleansers in 2012. I love them. They're so creamy and moisturising, but remove all of your make-up at the same time. The ones above are Superdrug's Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser, Superdrug's Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser, and Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish. I've also just used up the No7 one. My favourites would have to be the Superdrug ones. They're nearly as good as the Liz Earle one, but they're so much cheaper.

I also started wearing primer last year. How did I manage without it?! I couldn't not use it now. It allows my make-up to go on smoothly and last all day. The ones I use are Witch's Anti-Blemish Skin Clearing Primer and Nivea's Express Hydration Primer.

I started using body oils in the Summer of 2012. The ones pictured above are Palmer's Moisturising Body Oil and The Body Shop's Coconut Beautifying Oil. I've used a third of The Body Shop's one, which is good going seeing as you only need to little bit at a time. I really want to try the mango scented one next.

I also think I started using wax to fill in my eyebrows last year. Before that, I always used powder. The wax I use, and have repurchased, is the one from the ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium.

I then started to use cream blushes. The ones I use the most are the ones pictured above, and they are the NYX Cream Blushes in Natural and Glow. To apply these, I use the ELF Studio Stipple Brush, which I picked up last month.

I also started to buff my nails. I never realised how many ridges I had until I buffed them. I then couldn't get over how smooth they felt! And my nail polish started to apply much better.

The most recent beauty change I've made is wearing nude eyeliner. The one above is Rimmel's Scandal Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in Nude. It covers the redness I have on my waterline and brightens my eyes beautifully.



They're some of the changes I've made in the last year. Others include smudging out the eyeliner on my lower lash line, exfoliating my face with exfoliating gloves, and waxing my top lip ;)

Superdrug Purchases!

Superdrug have free delivery until the 24th October, so I thought I'd stock up on some essentials. I stock up on so many things, my beauty draws look like a small shop!

The Superdrug Foam Colour Hair Dyes are for my mum. They were buy one (£5.99) get two free, so these were just £2 each! I bought her one Medium Brown 5.0 and two Light Browns 6.0.

I then added the Simple Baby Wipes x80 to my basket, which were £1.99. The normal facial ones are £2.99 for 25, so these are much more cost effective (and they're practically the same things!).

I'm running low on my much loved Witch Skin Clearing Primer and it was half price at just £3.49, so I couldn't resist.

I also wanted to try the new Nivea Express Hydration Primer, which was only £3.99. I love the packaging - It comes in a glass jar! It's lighter in consistency than the Witch one and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I'll test it out tomorrow and see if my concealer creases on my eyelids (I have red, oily eyelids, you see... mmm, sexy).

I added Superdrug's Coconut Oil to my basket because I've been meaning to purchase a pot and it was only £2.29. I already have a coconut oil, but I wanted to try the solid, natural form.

I've tried Liz Earle's and No7's hot cloth cleansers, so wanted to buy Superdrug's Hot Cloth Cleanser to compare. I've been liking hot cloth cleansers because they're gentle and moisturising on my skin. This one was on offer for £4.99 (normally £5.99).

I then bought another bottle of Cutex's Nourishing Nail Polish Remover for £2.15. This is my favourite nail polish remover because I really like the smell and it does a good job at removing my nail polish, funnily enough.

Lastly, I stocked up on Superdrug's Hair Grips (£1.39) and Superdrug's Emery Boards (99p). I go through so many packs of these. I don't know if that's because I use them all the time or because they go missing all the time!

And they're my purchases! Oh, I do love free delivery.

My Current, Daily Beauty Routine (Morning)

Good evening, everyone! Here are the products I am currently using every morning. They are mostly make-up items because I shower and use my body products in the evenings. A post for my evening beauty routine will be up shortly.

Before I apply my make-up, I quickly wipe my face with a facial wipe to get rid of any excess oil and then use a light moisturiser. I'm currently using the Nelsons Pure & Clear Purifying Daily Facial Wipes* (Boots, £5.49) and Nelsons Pure & Clear Balancing Moisturiser* (Boots, £8.49). The moisturiser is light and absorbs into my skin well, which is just what I need before I apply my make-up. The facial wipes have a plastic lid on them - I wish more brands did this! Before I started using the Nelsons products, I was using Skin Therapy's Facial Wipes (Wilkinson, 2 for £1) and The Body Shop's Vitamin E Moisture Cream (The Body Shop, £9).  Once I've finished using my current face wipes, I'm going to buy a big packet of baby wipes because you get more for your money.

Once my moisturiser has sunk in, I apply my Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer (Boots, £4.19) to any blemishes. Before applying it around my eyes, I use Witch's Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer (It's not showing up on Boots' or Superdrug's websites, but I know they stock it. I think it's around £5) because I have oily eyelids. I also sometimes use ELF's Eyelid Primer (ELF, £1.50). My skin normally looks quite even by this stage, so I just use ELF's Mineral Booster (ELF, £5) to keep any shine at bay. I then use my trusty ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit in Medium (ELF, £3.75) (Review can be found here) to fill in my eyebrows.

Blusher is one of the only products that I change daily. Above is some of my most used. At the back, you have Sleek's Pixie Pink, Flamingo and Rose Gold (Superdrug, £4.49), Natural Collection's Pink Cloud and Peach Melba (Boots, £1.99), 17's First Kiss (Boots, £3.49), Revlon's PhotoReady Cream Blush in Flushed (Boots, £5.99) and NYX's Cream Blush in Glow (Joy017, £6-7, including P&P). As you can see, most of them are warm toned. They look the most natural with my freckles and ginger hair.

For months and months now, I've lined my eyes with NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha (Joy017, £4-5, including P&P) (Review can be found here). Recently, I've been using the NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Campo de' Fiori* (NARS, £17), which is a beautiful gold. It is strongly pigmented and lasts for hours. This is great for someone like me who cannot be bothered to touch up my make-up throughout the day. I then curl my lashes with ELF's Eyelash Curlers (ELF, £1.50) and use Maybelline's One by One Mascara (Boots, £8.49). I've repurchased this mascara so many times. It has a plastic brush, so I was sceptical at first, but I was pleasantly surprised and haven't looked back since. I love it because it separates every last eyelash, making them look natural. If I want to wear an eyeshadow, I've recently been opting for Maybelline's 24HR Colour Tattoo Gel Cream Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze (Boots, £4.99), and if I want to use a liquid eyeliner, I've been using Collection 2000's Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in Black (Boots, £2.99). Both the eyeshadow and felt tip liner do not budge once dry - I love them.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced mocha, NARS Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Campo de' Fiori and Maybelline 24HR Colour Tattoo Gel Cream Eyeshadow in On and On Bronze

Like the rest of my make-up, I like my lip products to be fuss free and last most of the day. The shades I've been wearing the most are Collection 2000's Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Creams in Fairy Cake and Cotton Candy (Boots, £2.99) (Review can be found here), NYX's Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan (Joy017, £5-6, including P&P) and Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart. Sweetheart is not available in the UK, but you can buy other shades in Superdrug and Boots for £5.99 at the moment (Normally £7.99). The Balm Stain is quite bright, so I like to sheer it out with my finger.

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Fairy Cake, Collection 2000 Cream Puff Moisturising Lip Cream in Cotton Candy, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan and Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Sweetheart

That's it for my make-up! I'm left with a natural look. The brushes I use are by ELF Studio and Ecotools.

I don't use any products on my hair in the mornings. I just straighten or curl my hair using my Remington Pearl appliances. The Remington Pearl Curling Wand (Review can be found here) makes the curls in your hair last for days, so I don't need to use any hairspray to keep them in place.

And that's me ready for the day! Holy Moly, this post is long. It's because of the make-up products. My evening routine post shouldn't be as long!

*PR samples

Giveaway! CLOSED

Hello my lovelies!

Who wants to win a Witch Anti-blemish Liquid Concealer? I have 10 up for grabs! Yes, 10!

'Witch Anti-blemish Liquid Concealer is specially formulated for oily/combination skin. Enriched with antibacterial actives, it helps target spots and blemishes while smoothly covering them helping you to achieve a clear looking complexion instantly. Providing medium coverage and a natural matte finish, the lightweight formulation is also suitable for use under eyes, and great for reducing redness around the nose. 

Available in two shades, light and medium, to suit most skin tones.' 

The rules:

• You must be a follower/member of Affordable Treats.
• UK only.
• If you are under 16, please make sure your parents are OK with you receiving the prize.

How to enter:

• Simply leave me a nice comment!
• Include your email address in the comment so I can contact you if you win!

      Extra entries:

• For an extra entry, follow me on Twitter and tweet the following: ' Want to win a Witch Anti-blemish Liquid Concealer? @Louu8D is giving away 10 here: http://affordabletreats.blogspot.com/2011/07/giveaway.html ' If you do this, be sure to include your Twitter name in your comment below.

This giveaway will be open for a week. You have until 12pm Tuesday 26th July to enter.
I will select 10 winners using random.org.

Good luck!