Little Luxuries Collective Haul

Hi everyone,

I've managed to do a fair bit of shopping over the past couple of months, and while I was out shopping I picked up a few high end/ luxury items; and I wanted to share these with you.

Urban Decay Naked Palette
I've been eyeing up either the original Naked palette and the Naked 2 palette for the past twelve months, and I couldn't make up my mind which one I wanted, as they looked very similar. In the end I settled for the original Naked palette, as the shades are more warm toned, and these are what I personally like.

Caudalie Vinosource S.O.S Serum
I decided to get this as I didn't have a serum that was suitable for giving my skin the extra hydration boost that my skin needs at the moment, due to the colder months. The serum contains hyaluronic acid, and its this that helps to give the skin an extra boost of hydration.

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate
I've also been thinking of getting this for a while, as this doesn't contain hyaluronic acid. But the moisturiser which I'm going to be using along side it does, and I don't fancy overloading my skin with loads of hyaluronic acid.

Neal's Yard Witch Hazel Toner
I got this as my skin has mildly broken out, and I needed something that would help it. This is a gentle astrigent toner, which means that its quite a strong toner; but its very gentle on the skin. 

Rituals Under a Fig Tree Mini Fragrance Sticks
I've had one of these before I enjoyed the scent of this. These are ideal for scenting a small room, and the scent itself is very fresh and welcoming. I got this as I'm inbetween candles at the moment, and I just needed something to fragrance my room for a couple of weeks inbetween lighting candles.

Rituals White Lotus & Ginkgo Biloba Hand Balm
I brought this because I didn't have a hand cream for my other handbag, and I really liked the fragrance of this; and with it being a hand balm I thought it would be ideal for the winter months.

Hourglass Ambiant Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush
This is first Ambiant Lighting Blush, and I'm really looking forward to using it. I chose Luminous Flush, and it looked like the most natural for my pale skin tone.

Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lipgloss in Fortune
I brought this as it was the shade that caught my eye, and I have nothing like this in my lipgloss collection. I'm really looking forward to using this alongside the Ambiant Lighting Blush; and as I'm looking at the photo they look as if they going to compliment each other really well.

What are your favourite high end/ luxury products?

Bobbi Brown Warm Eye Shadow Palette

Hi everyone,

I thought I would share with you the new Limited Edition Bobbi Brown Warn Eye Shadow palette, which has been created as part of their 2014 Christmas Collection. This is the only item from this years Christmas Collection that I own.

First of all the eyeshadows are in a faux tortoise shell case, with gold branding. Its also quite small and sleek. The design of the tortise shell shows up more when it hits the light.

Also within the eye shadow palette is a dual-sided brush. One side of the brush can be used for blending, and the other can be used as either a liner or packing colour onto the lid.

Now for the eyeshadows. I'm going to talk about the eyeshadows individually, and I'm going to go left to right.

Bone - This is a matte cream shade that can be all over the lid or to highlight underneath the brows.

Champagne Quartz - This is a satin finish, and this shade has a peachy pink hue. This could be used all over the lid or in the centre of the lid to add a bit of pinkish highlight.

Malted - This is another matte shade, and its a taupe. This could be used alongside Bone to create a nice simple day time look.

Gold - This is the only sparkle eyeshadow within the palette, and this could be used to add a bit of glam and sparkle to either a day time look, or a smokey eye look.

Sable - This is a mid-tone matte brown, and this could also be used all over the lid along with Bone, or along side Bone and Malted to create a day time smokey look.

Espresso - This is a dark brown matte shade, and this could be used to add more definition to a smokey eye look, or as eye liner; depending on what look you facied created with it.

The palette retails for £34.50 in the UK

Bath & Body Shop Haul

Hi everyone,

I decided to have a bit of a stock up of my Bath & Body Works products, and I also fancied trying a couple of their hand soaps.

PocketBacs

Pure Paradise

The Pure Paradise fragrance has a fresh, clean scent with a hint of fruitiness; and I've never had this fragrance before. So, I thought I would be a nice one to try when we get our warm weather back.

Golden Apricot

This has a mild sweet citrus scent which is right up my street. The only problem with the PocketBac is that when you smell it from the bottle itself, you actually can smell the alcohol; which is one thing I've never encountered with the B&BW PocketBacs before, and I've used quite a few of them in the past.

Deep Cleansing Hand Soaps

Black Cherry Merlot

I've never used any of the hand soaps from B&BW before, but I'm really looking forward to using them and seeing what all the fuss about. Black Cherry Merlot smells exactly like a Bakewell Tart, which is a sweet pastry made in the UK, and it comes from a little town called Bakewell. This one I'm definatly looking forward to using as its such a sweet smelling scent, but without the added calories.

Golden Apricot

This is a mild sweet citrus scent, which is lovely; and with this one you don't any scent of alcohol due to it being a hand soap. This is the hand wash that I'm using next, as my current one is nearly empty.

Product Empties - October 2014

Hi everyone,

It's product empties time again, and it doesn't seem that long ago since I last did one of these.

Dove Volume Boost Shampoo & Conditioner
As much as I love the Dove hair care I really didn't like these; mainly because I got no volume at all from this range of products. So I won't be repurchasing these again in the future.

Korres Vanilla, Freesia & Lychee Shower Gel
This is another product that I wasn't overly fond of, mainly due to the fact that I had to use a lot of product to get a decent lather. The scent was okay, but nothing special. But I won't be buying it again.

The Body Shop Coconut Creamy Body Scrub
Now this is one product I really enjoy using, and I've already started my second tub of this. This is a gentle, but creamy scrub; and it does what its supposed to do. The scent is heavenly, and I will repurchase it again.

The Body Shop satsuma Body Butter
I'm not going to lie, but when I first started using this it took me a while to get used to the scent, as it smells ever so slightly different to the rest of the satsuma range. But, once I was over that I really started to enjoy the product; and I have already repurchased it ready for next Spring/ Summer.

Impulse True Love Body Fragrance
The scent of this is lovely, and I've gone through a few of these over the past couple of months. But, once I've ran out of it I won't be repurchasing it again, as I've found something much better.

The Body Shop Blueberry Shower Gel
The blueberry range was part of the limited edition summer collection at The Body Shop, and as much as I love the showe gels I really didn't like this one as the scent was a little artificial. I do have more to use, but once thats gone I won't be buying it again.

Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub
This is really good stuff and I've already brought a fresh one. If you like sweet and girly scents you'll love this, as it has the Lush famous 'Snow Fairy' scent. I does a great job at getting rid of all the dry skin on the lips, and the best thing is you can lick it off afterwards; thats if you want too.

Aromatherapy Associates De-Stress Mind Bath & Shower Oil
This is one of the little minatures from the sampler kit from Aromatherapy Associates. I think I got two baths out of this, as much as I like the scent and as much as fills the bathroom; I don't think I'm going to purchasing a full size bottle as they are expensive for what they are.

Alterna Bamboo Abundant Volume Shampoo & Conditioner Sample
I got this in my very first Sephora order, and I have to say that I really didn't like it; as I had to use a lot of product to give my hair good clean, but I also didn't get any volume from this. It also took a lot of product to lather up. So, this is another product that I won't be repurchasing.

Bumble & Bumble Thickening Shampoo & Conditioner Sample
I actually went through two lots of sample sachets of this product just to see if I would like it, and sadly it just isn't for me. It does cleanse the hair and gives it a bit of volume, but its nothing special. So, again this is another product that I won't be buying.

Collective Haul: The Body Shop

Hi everyone,

I've been doing quite a bit of shopping recently in The Body Shop, and this is what I've been buying over the past couple of months. They are a few freebies included in this haul, but they wasn't sent to me. I'll explain why they were free further down in the post.

Tea Tree Cool & Creamy Wash
I chose to buy the Cool & Creamy wash, as I needed to something that was able to give my face a though clean, but without leaving it stripped. It's also great if you have an oily T-zone like I sometimes get, as its really good at removing all of the excess oil without leaving your skin feeling dry.

Aloe Gentle Toner
I brought the Aloe Gentle Toner, as I fancied trying something a little different from my Simple Soothing toner, and this seemed to tick all of the right boxes. I haven't finished using up my Simple toner, but this is ready and waiting for when I do.

Aloe Eye Defence
I got this as I needed a eye cream due to under my eyes feeling a little bit dry, and this is lovely as its light in texture, and a little bit goes a long way.

Shea Body Butter
I got the Shea body butter due to it coming into the colder weather, and my skin needs something more hydrating. Its got a thick, rich and creamy texture, but it sinks in straight away. I first heard about it I think it was last year when essiebutton mentioned it in one of her Body Shop hauls, so I thought it was time to give it whirl; and it really does seem to be helping my skin stay hydrated after I've applied it.

Strawberry Body Butter
I've been thinking about trying this one for a while, but I wasn't sure what to make of the scent; but I have now finally caved. I actually got this to use during the Spring/ Summer months, and it actually smells like a strawberry smoothie. I remember a few years ago that Miss Glamorazzi raving about this; and saying how much she adored the scent, as it made her smell like a strawberry shortcake.

Peppermint Foot Care Gift Set
I was in need of some foot care products due my feet feeling a little dry and flaky. I stubbled across this gift set while I was out shopping, and within this gift set you get the peppermint foot spray, peppermint foot lotion, peppermint intensive foot treatment and peppermint foot scrub. I have used the peppermint foot spray for years, and its amazing.

I managed to get my hands on some of the new Christmas collection early due to being a member of The Body Shop's 'Love your Body' customer loyalty scheme.

Glazed Apple Shower Gel

The new Glazed Apple range for Christmas smells amazing like freshly picked apples with a hint of honey. The shower gel smells luscious and reminds me of my childhood when I used to pick apples from the tree in our back garden. This is one I'm defiantly stocking up on.

Glazed Apple Hand Cream

The hand cream smells exactly like the shower gel, and this one is definatly going in my handbag once my other one has ran out.

All the products in the above photo are the products that I received for free, but these were not sent to me.

Aloe Gentle Exfoliator & Tea Tree Oil
The Aloe Gentle Exfoliator and Tea Tree oil where given to me at the till after I spent over a certain amount in store, and I wasn't aware of this until I actually reached the till. Both of these will come in very useful for two different reasons. The Aloe Gentle Exfoliator will be handy to have for my when starts to go on the sensitive side, but this doesn't happen often. The Tea Tree oil will also come in handy for when I have a minor acne breakout, as it will help to try dry them out.

Absinyth Purifying Hand Wash
I received this as part of the £5 reward from the 'Love your Body' loyalty scheme. I chose the Absinyth hand wash due to it being a clarifying hand wash, which is what I actually prefer for a hand wash, and it as the scent of Aloe Vera; which is just a very fresh fragrance.

My Lip Balm Collection

Hi everyone,

Over the past couple of years I've seemed to have collected quite a few lip balms. So I thought I would share with them with you. I'm going to do to do this from my favourite to least favourite lip balm.

Jack Black Mint & Shea Butter Lip Balm
I've only had this lip balm a few months, and I love to use this at night before I go to bed; as its really moisturising. The mint scent isn't overpowering, and it has a lovely tingling sensation when its being applied. It also has the added bonus of SPF25, so its also great to use when your out and about.

Lanolips Original Ointment
The Lanolips original ointment is actually a multi-purpose balm and it works in a similar way to the Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream. But, I mainly use this as a lip balm, and I keep it in my main handbag. Also, because its a balm you do have to warm it between your fingers before applying it to your lips; but once it has been applied its very hydrating.

The Body Shop Raspberry Get Lippy Lip Balm
Here's a lip balm that brings back some childhood memories, because every girl in my year at primary school would have at least one of these lip balms, and they do smell as good now as they were back in the 90s. Its also the main reason why I brought it in the raspberry scent, as it has a bit of nostalgia to it; as well as being one of my favourite scents from the Get Lippy range.

The Body Shop Strawberry Lip Butter
I originally got this because I needed something quite hydrating to use at night, and I got this even before I purchased my Jack Black lip balm. It smells like a strawberry milkshake, and its also very light in texture even though its a lip butter. It moisturises the lips quite well, as well as leaving them soft and nourished.

The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter
I'm sorry to say but I can't really say much about this lip butter, as I haven't got around to using it yet. But I'm hoping that its even more nourishing and hydrating as the strawberry lip balm.

Nivea Milk & Honey Lip Balm
This is a lovely moisturising basic lip balm, which is ideal to use everyday. This is one that I keep in my other handbag. As well as being moisturising, its also very nourishing and leaves the lips feeling very soft.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Balm
This is one of the lip balms that I'm not so keen on, as to me it doesn't seem to do anything, but it does have SPF15; so its handy to keep in your handbag for that reason. It also doesn't seem as nourishing and hydrating as the other lip balms I've tried.

Carmex Cherry SPF25 Lip Balm
I got this mainly because I love anything cherry scented. This to me is just a bit too thick, and just sits on the lips. So, this is another one that I'm not a fan of.

Nuxe Riev de Miel Lip Balm
I used this for months as my night time lip balm, and at first I really loved it; but now I just can't stand the texture of it, as its way too thick for my liking. The fragrance of this is lovely as its a minty lemony scent, but sadly this isn't the right lip balm for me.

What are your favourite and least lip balms? 

It would be great to get some feedback on this, as I would like few ideas of what lip balms I could try next.

Review: L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution

Hi everyone,

I thought I would share my thoughts on the L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Micellar Solution.

To me this is the high street version of Bioderma, but not as good, and the only reason why I say this is because when I have used this after coming home from work the cotton wool pad isn't as covered in dirt; where as when I had used the Bioderma the cotton wool pad was filthy.

I use this as my first step of my skin care routine, mainly just to get rid of any build up from the environment and to give my skin a bit of a refresh before I go ahead with the rest of my routine.

The L'Oreal Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution claims to: -
- Dissolve make up
- Unclogs pores and remove impurities
- Tones and soothes skin
- Suitable for all skin types including sensitive skin

I've never used this to take away my make up, but I have used it to take off the last little bit after I have used a cleansing oil; just to make sure that my skin is completely free of make up. As for unclogging pores and removing impurities I personally don't think it does that good of a job, but it does do a basic job of toning and soothing the skin, and it also doesn't leave the skin feeling tight after using it. It also doesn't contain alcohol, which means it won't strip the skin.

This is a little bit hit and miss for myself personally, as it doesn't seem to get rid of all build up from my face at the end of the day.

If you have ever wanted to try a Micellar water, but you don't want to pay the price for a bottle of Bioderma, then this maybe for you. It's also purse friendly as you can pick up for around £5.