May Empties - Loves and Loathes

I'm a bit late with this month's empties as I've been busier than I anticipated this weekend, even though it was twice as long due to the Jubilee.  There were so many things I was planning on doing but it seems to have just flown by and I've not had any time for blogging until today!  So lets crack on with my empties.

KMS Quick Blow Dry Spray (reviewed here) - a great little spray I received in my last Carmine box  I will certainly be purchasing the full-sized bottle soon.

Naked Volume Body Building Shampoo (reviewed here) - really REALLY disliked this and ended up making hubby use it and using it to clean my make up brushes.  Would not repurchase.

Tigi Bed Head Dumb Blonde Conditioner  - I've been working my way through this humongous bottle for what seems like months but it was finally finished this month which is a good thing as it was taking up far too much space in my bathroom!  This conditioner is fab at keeping my coloured locks in good condition and is one I return too time and time again.  I've already bought another (smaller!) bottle which is more portable and better for travelling.

Davines Nou Nou Illuminating Shampoo (reviewed here) - I was a bit disappointed with this as it seemed to get used up very quickly and was quite a basic shampoo for the price.  I won't be repurchasing.

 

Bed Head Very Berry Whipped Mousse Body Lotion - as part of my efforts to reduce my body lotion stash, this had been languishing in my draw for quite some time.  I don't even think they sell it any more and even if they did I wouldn't repurchase as it wasn't overly moisturising and seemed to sit on the surface of the skin, rather than be absorbed by it.

The Body Shop Chocomania Shower Cream (reviewed here) - a creamy moisturising shower cream that was perhaps more suited to evening bathing and showering that first thing in a  morning.  I liked it but not sure I would repurchase.

The Body Shop Peppermint Intense Foot Rescue - one of my staples of my Summer Footcare prep, I have repurchased this several times previously and will continue to purchase it as it is the only foot lotion that can go some way to smoothing my scaly feet!

Dr Hauschka Rose Body Lotion (reviewed here) - a small sample which didn't last long but was very nicely scented and absorbed quickly into the skin.  I'm on a body lotion ban, otherwise I would consider purchasing. 

Lush The Carrot Bubble Bar - so disappointed with this as on the second use, the bubble bar broke away from the stalk and I had to fish it out of my scalding hot bath.  The bubbles weren't that great with this either and I wasn't overly enamoured with the scent.  I wouldn't repurchase this if they bring it out next Easter.

L'Oreal Million Lashes Mascara - I enjoyed the effect this gave but for some reason recently, my eyes have become really sensitive and I wasn't able to use this without my eyes becoming red and watery.  I wouldn't repurchase solely for this reason, although I loved how my lashes looked when it was applied.

Jo Loves Pomelo Fragrance - This was a sample but it is so clean and fresh smelling I'm certainly going to see if I can get hold of a full sized bottle.  It seems to last on the skin for ages too.

Biotherm Aquasource Levres SPF8 (mini review here) - a small sample but this lasted for ages so I can imagine the full size would last  a while.  I have plenty of lip balms at the moment to get through though so I wouldn't repurchase this yet, but I may do in the future.

Have you tried any of these products?  What did you think of them?

April Empties

 

Another month, another large pile of empties amassed!  I'm actually quite proud of myself for finishing off so much!

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub (review here) - I didn't mind this, finding it quite gentle, although a little drying.  However I wouldn't repurchase.

Nina, Nina Ricci Body Lotion - receieved as part of a gift pack, it had a very strong scent.  As I often find with perfumed body lotions, it wasn't overly moisturising.  Wouldn't repurchase.

Tigi Dumb Blonde Shampoo - Love this and always have a tube on the go - I've already repurchased!

Lush Cinders Bath Bomb - this came as part of a Christmas gift set.  I like it but its not my favourite of the Lush Christmas bath bombs. I prefer the Abombinaball and Satsuma Santa!

Vaseline Essential Moisture Clean Feeling Body Lotion (review here) - a decent basic body lotion for normal skin but I prefer more heavy duty body butters. Wouldn't repurchase.

Marks & Spencer Spa Collection Ultra Energising Shower Gel - This came as part of a gift pack. It had a lovely minty menthol scent, great for waking me up in the morning.  Would maybe repurchase.

No 7 Cleanse & Care Eye Make-up Remover (review here)- really disliked this.  Would not repurchase.

Garnier Fresh Essentials Eye Makeup Remover - My staple eye make up remover.  I've already got two backups!

L'Occitaine Hibiscus  Hand Cream - I love L'Occitaine hand creams as they are rich and non-greasy.  Will certainly be looking at others in their range.

No 7 Quick Thinking Wipes - I always pick these up when the £5 off Boots vouchers are floating about.  I don't think they are worth the £7.50 full price though.

Charles Worthington Full Volume Shampoo (review here) - again a decent highstreet shampoo which cleansed my hair and left it feeling shiny but sadly didn't deliver on volume.  May repurchase.

Laura Mercier Full Blown Mascara in Black (review here) - Really liked this natural-looking, lengthening mascara.  I will certainly be repurchasing once I get through my current mascara stocks!

Bobbi Brown Touch up Stick in Warm Sand - my everyday concealer, I have already repurchased.

Have you managed to finish any of your stash this month? 

Have you tried any of these products?

March Empties

I’ve had a great March using up lots of products, including quite a few full-sized ones too.

The Body Shop Earth Lovers Shower Gel in Pear and Lemongrass (review here) – I liked the idea of this shower gel but the fragrance didn’t wow me and it was far too watery and liquid – the consistency was almost like water!  I wouldn’t rush to repurchase another from this range, purely due to the watery consistency and the fact it was very easy for more to end up down the plughole than on my body!

TiGi Dumb Blonde Shampoo – this is one of my holy grail products and although I like to try other shampoos, this is by far the one I come back to the most.  I finished this bottle and promptly restocked!  I love it as it leaves my hair soft and manageable and prolongs the life of my colour.

Trevor Sorbie Colour Protect Shampoo – this has been lounging in my draw for ages and it was time to use it up!  I think it has now been repackaged, and potentially reformulated, however I wasn’t overly impressed with this mini bottle and I don’t think this would replace my Dumb Blonde!

Lush Three Gold Rings Bubble Bar – this was left over from Christmas but I think they are released every year.  I loved the scent of vanilla / orange oil and it produced monstrous amounts of bubbles (I always just crumble the whole bar in but you could easily get several baths from it).  It did leave a gold stain around the bottom of the bathtub that was horrendous to shift though!  I would possibly repurchase this next year although Lush always brings out new products that I am tempted by!

Neal’s Yard Remedies Seaweed Salt Scrub (review here) – this scrub was sufficiently ‘scrubby’ for me but the scent really put me off and for that reason I wouldn’t repurchase.

Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Body Lotion  - a product that does exactly what it says on the tin, providing instant relief to dry, scaly areas.  At the moment I wouldn’t repurchase as I still have a heap of body lotions to work my way through!

Johnsons 24hr Extra Rich Bodywash – I found there was nothing overly remarkable about this product, probably as I prefer scented shower gels and creams.  It did leave my skin nicely hydrated though and those who prefer unscented body washes would probably like this.  However I will not be repurchasing, mainly as there are hundreds of shower gels and creams I have yet to try!

Palmer’s Cocoa Butter Concentrated Cream – this is another of my staples.  I love the scent of cocoa butter and this never fails to provide my hands with instant moisturisation.  I already have a back up!

Sure Deodorant – not much to say about this, it does the job!

Clinique Mild Liquid Facial Soap  - received probably as part of a Bonus Time promotion, I wasn’t overwhelmed by this as I found it quite drying for everyday use.  It was handy to use after a run as it made my face feel very clean, although you do need to use a good moisturiser afterwards and I wouldn’t recommend it for dry skins.  I wouldn’t repurchase but I’m sure a couple more of these will turn up in future Bonus Time free gifts!

Liz Earle Smoothing Eye Serum (review here) – I used this in conjunction with the Liz Earle eye cream and much preferred this serum to the cream.  I used it in the evenings and although I’m not sure it made a visible difference, it did hydrate my eye area overnight.  I would consider repurchasing but I currently have another couple of eye creams to test out.

Simple Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes – I always have a couple of packs of wipes on the go for a quick refresh or often just to remove swatches!  These are a great price and, like other Simple products, do not irritate my skin.  I would repurchase.

What have you managed to use up this month?

Review: Tigi Bed Head Sugar Dust

There seems to have been a rapid influx of volumising hair powders onto the market of late and after being so impressed with the volumising and mattifying properties of the Label.m Resurrection Dust (review here) I was excited to try another brand to see if it would produce the same effects (the life of a beauty blogger means we are always itching to try other products!)

Tigi Bed Head Sugar Dust is used in much the same way as the Label.m product.  You sprinkle a tiny bit of product into the roots of your hair and rub it in to produce the required volume.  It also does a good job of mattifying the hair and soaks up any oil at the roots, making it perfect if you don't have time to wash your hair.

The first thing I noticed with this product is that the grains of product were much smaller than the grains of the Label.m product.  This meant that it was easier to work into the roots but I did feel like I needed a lot of the product to produce the desired effect.  The name is very apt as it does look a lot like sugar, although I would imagine that it doesn't taste very good in a cup of tea!

In comparing this product with the Label.m product, I also found that it was more difficult to control and didn't produce as much of a targeted volume look, probably because I needed to use more product and the smaller grains seemed to migrate all over the head.  This even happened when I roped in a willing helper over the weekend to help apply it!

Verdict

Tigi Bed Head Sugar Dust does produce some decent volume, although it wasn't nearly as volumising as the Label.m product.  I did find that it didn't leave much of a sticky residue in my hair and was quite light to use, however it did require quite a lot of product to achieve the desired volumising effect on my fine hair, and I found it difficult to target specific areas of my hair without it going everywhere!  In short, this will not replace my Label.m powder but if you only require a small amount of volume, it may work well for you.  

2.5/5

Price - From £8.26

Where to Buy -  Cheap Smells, Feel Unique, Look Fantastic, Essentual

Have you tried any volumising powders?

Mini Haul!

A quick post to show you some of the products I have accumulated over the past week or so and what you can look forward to seeing reviewed over the next couple of weeks. 

A-England Polishes in Tristam and Guinvere

I haven’t tried any A-England polishes before so I’m looking forward to trying out both of these and doing some swatches /NOTD posts for you. I love discovering new brands!

Tigi Bed Head Dumb Blond Shampoo

I was getting particularly fed up with the Naked shampoo I have been using (review coming up, but I guess you can tell what my thoughts are already!) so went back to an old favourite. This keeps my coloured hair looking bright and shiny without weighing it down and gets rid of any product build-up. 

Garnier Fresh Essentials Eye Make up Remover

Another repeat purchase. I’m onto my 3^rd bottle of this and haven’t found anything better so far. It works wonders on my eye make up without stinging my sensitive eyes.

Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub and Neutrogena Visibly Clear Pink Grapefruit Facial Wash

I love the scent of both of these and I’m looking forward to seeing how they work! 

Victoria

x

2011 Favourites: Part 2 - Hair and Body

Moving onto the second part of my 2011 favourites with Hair and Body.  If you missed the first part with my favourite makeup products, you can see that here.

 

Hair Products

TiGi Dumb Blonde Shampoo and Conditioner

I have flirted with many other shampoos and conditioners but always come back to this one, plusthey both smell amazing - I get chocolate orange from them although I'm sure they've changed the scent recently as I'm positive the conditioner used to smell of pineapple!  They stop my coloured hair going brassy and the shampoo always seems to remove all traces of products and buildup, whilst the conditioner adds and retains moisture without weighing down my locks.

Styling Product - Label.M Resurrection Dust

Although there are many products that produce a similar result for cheaper, I love this product as it gives volume to my fine lifeless hair in an instant. I also love the fact that I can re-volumise my hair later on in the day or evening by massaging at the roots to give more lift.

Skin and Body Care

Body Scrub – Korres Watermelon Body Scrub

www.lookfantastic.co.uk

I love the scent of this scrub! It wakes me up in the morning with a zing (or at least as much of a zing as I can muster at 6.30am!) and is sufficiently scrubby whilst still being moisturising.

Moisturiser – Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel

www.clinique.co.uk

Light enough to use on my oily / combination skin without turning it into an oil slick, this has been my favourite moisturiser for the last couple of years. I usually need to change up to something heavier in the winter but as we have had a fairly mild winter this year so far, this has been sufficient.

Eye Cream – Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream

http://www.bobbibrown.co.uk/

This was the first eye cream I tried and it has remained my favourite, despite trying out a few others this year. It sinks in easily and leaves no residue. My only grumble is that it comes in a pot, and I would much prefer a tube for hygiene reasons.

Hand Cream – Palmers Cocoa Butter Hand Lotion

I am constantly applying hand cream and Palmers is cheap, portable and smells good enough to eat! It is also very moisturising without being greasy and sinks in quickly, all essential qualities for a good hand cream!

Foot Cream -Body Shop Intensive Foot Rescue

http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk

Years of wearing inappropriate footwear and doing a fair amount of running have meant that my feet tend to suffer quite a bit. This is the thickest, most luxurious foot cream I have come across and I love to slather it on my feet and pop a pair of socks on to give some moisture to my poor tootsies!

 

That completes the round up of my products of the year! Let me know what your favourites were!