June Hits and Misses

Another month, and some new favourites have been added to my collection along with one regret purchase.

Hits

Marks & Spencer Limited Collection Liquid Liner in Turquoise (review here)

This is a true budget gem at only £4 and it stays put all day. It is a fantastic vibrant hue that applies really easily, even for someone with novice liner skills like me! 

Nars Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Happy Days (review here)

 I am a sucker for balmy lip products and I really love how easy to use this lip product is. It's light and non drying and gives a sheer tint to the lips. I do wish it twisted up rather than having to be sharpened though. 

Moroccan Oil (review here)

Everyone seems to have been praising this for ever as a miracle product for transforming your locks into glistening, shiny tresses.  Whilst I wouldn't say it is a miracle, it has manages to bring my dull, coloured hair back to life and certainly increased it's shine. I've had this mini bottle for around a month now and I've hardly made a dent in it so despite a full bottle being rather pricey, it will last forever!

Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub (review here)

 

Love love love everything about this from the gorgeous yummy scent  of maple syrup to the fantastic scrubbing grains which manage to simultaneously exfoliate whilst also being very moisturising. 

L'Occitane Almond Shower Oil (review here)

I've yet to find a L'Occitane product I don't like and this shower oil us deliciously moisturising without being greasy. I've only got a small sample of this from a gift set but I will be investigating the purchase of a full sized product. 

Misses

Bobbi Brown Extreme Party Mascara

 

I'm going to keep this brief as I will have a full review of this coming up later in the week. However I will say that a mascara that weighs down lashes and leaves smudges is not a party mascara!

 

What have you loved using this month? 

 

Review: Soap & Glory A Great Kisser Moisture Balm in Juicy Peach

The Summer season demands lighter, sheerer lips and I often tend to opt for tinted balms or products like Chanel's Rouge Coco Shines or Revlon's Lip Butters.  Whilst having a wander around Boots recently, I came across Soap & Glory's Lip Moisture Balm, 'A Great Kisser' in Juicy Peach and thought it was worth a try.

As I've mentioned in previous reviews of Soap & Glory products, I am not a fan of their cutesy, retro packaging, although I know many who are.  This balm is encased in a sturdy tin and smells strongly of peach when opened.  Thankfully, when applied to the lips the scent dissipates quickly.  

Despite the bright peach tint which is evident in the tin, when swatched and applied to the lips, it is pretty much sheer.  It is rather on the sticky side and I would actually class this more of a gloss / balm hybrid than a straightforward tinted lipbalm. It did leave a nice, glossy sheen on the lips but it was fairly transparent and I was a little disappointed there was not more pigment present. 

I found this lasted around an hour or so before I needed to reapply which is as expected for glosses and balms.  I found it to be fairly hydrating but not as moisturising as my trusty Carmex   My main grumble with this product is the fact that it comes in a tin rather than a stick and I can see it getting very messy very quickly.  I'm not a great fan of tins for applying products on the hoof as well, as I tend to end up with sticky fingers!

Verdict

This is a nice enough balm but for the price, I expected more from it and it really isn't much different from other basic balms.  You are paying for the Soap & Glory packaging and scent.  Having said that, if you are one of those people who love all things the Soap & Glory, then you will probably like this and it is by no means a bad product.  If you have a sensitive nose though, I would avoid it as it is highly scented and unfortunately, Soap & Glory don't provide testers for their balms so there is no way of knowing whether it is to your taste before you purchase.

3/5

Where to Buy - Boots

Price - £5

Review: Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub

I love a good scrub and I'm always looking for something to wake me up in the morning and sort out my scaly skin.  I picked up Soap & Glory's Breakfast Scrub recently, purely because I noticed that it had a maple fragrance.  I adore maple syrup to the point that when we were on holiday in California a couple of years ago, I made sure that everywhere we went for breakfast had pancakes and maple syrup on the menu.  I am really craving this right now, despite the fact it is the middle of the afternoon!

The packaging for this scrub is typical Soap & Glory - retro and cutesy.  I'm not particularly a fan of the packaging but I know that lots of people are.  For me, as long as the packaging is functional and serves its purpose, that is all I require.  One thing I do have to mention is that the tub is rather on the large side, which is great for value for money, especially as you only need a tiny amount each time, but not so great when it slips out of your hands and onto your toes in the shower, ouch!

First impressions upon opening the huge tub is that it is very sweet smelling.  Seriously, its like you have just opened a bottle of maple syrup and have taken a bit, long sniff, and although it is also supposed to contain oat, honey and almond, the predominant fragrance is maple syrup.  

The consistency of the scrub is very thick, as you can see in the picture above.  It is a 'proper' sugar scrub and the consistency reminds me somewhat of Elemis' Lime and Ginger scrub.  I have been using this 2-3 times a week, applied to damp skin on particularly dry, flaky patches of my body such as knees and elbows.  It has also been working a treat on my KP.  I would however recommend that you follow up with a body lotion or body butter as although I found the scrub fairly moisturising, the consistency was quite abrasive and you will need to be careful not to overdo it.  This is not a product you will need to use daily.

Verdict

If you are in the market for a hardcore scrub for particularly stubborn patches of dry, flaky skin this would be a great product to try.  It would also be fab for exfoliating before fake-tanning to ensure your tan applies evenly.  The only caveat I would mention is that it is very heavily fragranced so if you have a sensitive nose or an aversion to overly sweet scents, this will not be for you.  For sugar addicts like myself though, it is heavenly!

4.5/5

Where to Buy -  Boots,

Price - £9.50

November Empties

Not a great attempt this month but I am so close to finishing quite a number of products so I predict December will be good, unless I get sidetracked!

No 7, 4 in 1 wipes x 2, £7 - I got through a ton of these in Thailand and wouldn’t travel without them. I always pick some up when I have numerous No 7 £5 vouchers to spend.

Green & Spring Relaxing Body Lotion, £22, 300ml - This was a travel size that I received in a gift pack. It has a very strong lavender fragrance, so if you are not a huge fan of lavender I don’t think this would be for you. I used it in the evening, before bed, and found the scent very relaxing, however it does stick around for quite some time. The consistency of the lotion is rather thick so it does take some time to rub in and absorb and I didn’t find it particularly moisturising, and I expected better for the price. I would not repurchase, mainly as I have heaps more body lotions to work my way through.

Soap & Glory, Scrub Your Nose In It, £7.40 - I reviewed this previously here (Review – Soap & Glory Scrub your Nose in It) and my opinion of it has not changed. It is a perfectly acceptable scrub but I think there are probably better ones out there, especially for oily skin and I wouldn’t repurchase this. As an aside, I have yet to find a Soap & Glory product that blows me away, as I find most of their products fairly average. But then again, perhaps I am not trying the right products?

Nivea Had Lotion Express Hydration  , £3.05 - This was reviewed last month here (Review – Nivea Had Lotion Express Hydration) and now that my hands are less cracked and dry, it does seem to be a very good lotion which is not oily or greasy. I do still prefer scented hand products but I would repurchase this as it does the job well for a very reasonable price.

Cowshed Lippy Cow Natural Lip Balm, £5 - I really disliked this! I received it in a Cowshed order some time ago and it is everything I don't like in a lipbalm – greasy, oily and it just sits on the lips and provides no moisture at all. It has no discernible scent and although it goes on clear, it doesn’t particularly give an attractive sheen to the lips, it looks greasy and not at all attractive. This This is the only Cowshed product so far that I have disliked and I would definitely not repurchase it.

Review: Soap & Glory, Scrub Your Nose In It

Soap & Glory products seem to have a huge following, with many of my fellow bloggers praising their releases.  I have always been a bit on the fence with them as sometimes I feel they work and other times (Sit Tight for example) they fall flat and do not deliver what they promise.  I was in the market for a new facial scrub and thought I would give ‘Scrub Your Nose In It’ a try as it promised to reduce pore sizes, and give a noticeable reduction in my oily patches around my t-zone. 

Scrub your nose in it can be used as either a regular facial scrub or as a mask, which they suggest leaving on for 3 minutes around once a week for a deep-cleansing treat.  I have been using it mostly as a wake up exfoliator in the shower each morning.  I have used it as a mask once or twice but can’t say that it makes much of a difference to my oily areas and for a deep cleansing mask, I prefer my LizEarle Deep Cleansing Mask  that I use twice a week.  The packaging is your typical pink quirky packaging common to the rest of the brand which I am personally not a fan of but I know many others are.

The scrub itself has the usual minty scent that one comes to associate with Soap & Glory products and has a green tinge.  It is of medium thickness, as you can see from the swatch below, and it spreads easily, with only a  pea-sized amount required to cover the whole face.  The scrub grains are of average size and I did feel that there were sufficient to feel as though they were doing some good.  My skin can be fairly sensitive to harsh products and heavy scrubs but I had no adverse reactions or breakouts after using this 4-5 times a week.  I didn’t however notice a particular difference in my pore size or in the oiliness of my skin which the product claims to minimise, but my skin did feel refreshed and I felt it did achieve what I would expect from a basic scrub in that it made my skin smoother and ever so slightly brighter.    

Verdict  

If you are in the market for a new scrub you could give this a try as it does leave your skin feeling noticeably softer and smother.  However for very oily skin, you may not find it is efficient enough at minimising pores and controlling oil. The tube has lasted me well over a month with no end in sight yet, providing good value for money, especially as Boots often have Soap & Glory products on 3 for 2 offers.

 3/5

Price - £7.40 for 125ml

Where to buy – Boots, Harvey Nichols