June Empties ..

I love reading people’s empties posts, and I’m always just a little bit jealous as I don’t really go through products that quickly. Simply because I have too many! Anyway, I’ve been saving these up for a while now so they’re not really June empties, more recent-ish empties.

Tesco Clear Skin Wipes

I bought these ages ago because Tesco had run out of Simple wipes. They’re awful to say the least. They don’t remove makeup properly and leave bits of lint over your face. To finish them up I used them to clean the side in the bathroom where I apply my makeup.

meTime Nose Pore Strips

I love these. The stuff that comes off – well I won’t go into that, but I love using products that I can actually see working and these do just that. My boyfriend also really likes them. These were only 99p but I think I’ll be trying the Biore Nose Strips next.

Simple Oil Balancing Wipes

I don’t tend to use wipes to remove my makeup anymore; I double cleanse to make sure everything’s gone. But if I were to pick my favourite wipes then it would be a toss up between these and the No7 wipes. Definite bathroom staple.

Vaseline Cocoa Butter Body Oil Gel

Blogged here, this is one of my favourite products; life just isn’t the same without it! As you can see I’ve been through quite a few of late – I’m pretty much addicted.

Balance Me Super Moisturising Body Wash

I usually quite like balanceMe products, but I just didn’t get on with this. The smell was too ‘herby’ and the product itself was way too runny.

Soap & Glory The Daily Smooth Body Butter

This is what I use on the rare occasion that I run out of the Vaseline Oil Gel. It smells great – as do all S&G products – and is very moisturising. I got this in a set for Christmas, but I probably wouldn’t buy it for myself.


Dr Bronner Tea Tree Pure-Castile Soap
I found this way to drying to use everyday. The tea tree was refreshing, and smelt very 'fresh' when I got out of the shower but my skin was really dry. Love the fact that it's multi use though.

St Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub

LOVE. Bought the full size after I finished this sample. Feels great on my oily/combination skin.

Shu Uemura Cleansing Oil

The sample was so small that I can’t really review it. It was great at breaking down the glue from my horrible experience at OMG Beauty though.

Sasy n Savy Hand & Nail Repair Cream

Really not anything to rave about. The full-size is completely overpriced. No different to a hand cream that’s a fraction of the price.

Caudalie Vinosourse SOS Thirst Quenching Serum

This is the product that made me fall in love with Caudalie. It’s amazing. Absorbs really quickly and means I only need a small amount of moisturiser. The full size is expensive, but a definite must-have.

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Styling Treatment Oil

I absolutely loved this. The smell, the texture, and the way it made my hair feel. Top marks.

Narciso Rodriguez For Her EDP

I hate perfume samples, but loved this. It has a spray pump which made it great for chucking in my handbag. Smells amazing. Will definitely buy the full size at some point.

L’Oreal Visible Radiance Renewing Gel Toner

I’ve been using this for years but only because it was the easiest thing to reach for in the supermarket as I’d been using it so long. Probably won’t be buying this again as I don’t think it’s suitable for my skin.

bareMinerals Blush in I’m Amused Rouge

My favourite blush, ever. Probably because it was my first. I used to be content enough with foundation and a slick of eyeliner, until I went to the bareMinerals counter in Selfridges. It lasted me more than 18 months so it was a great investment.

EOS Lip Balm – Mint

One of the most overhyped products on the planet. It’s perfect if you reapply every 10 minutes, but aside from that it’s really not that great. Yes it’s cute, but I’d rather hideous packaging and a great product, than vice versa.

White Glo Whitening Toothpaste & Mouthwash

Since switching to these I’m unable to use anything else. I’ve noticed such a difference in the whiteness of my teeth since using them.

What have you been using recently?

Latest in Beauty: Skincare Stars Box

On Sunday, Latest in Beauty released their ‘Skincare Stars’ beauty box and I managed to get my hands on one.

I love LIB boxes. You always get to see what’s in the box before you buy it and they’re usually really good.

I know I’m always harping on about ‘my routine’ but I couldn’t help but want this box as it’s full of some amazing brands!

Say what you will about Glossybox, but their actual boxes are pretty useful. LIB on the other hand doesn’t bother so much with the box as the contents speaks for itself. However, I was really happy that they put the box inside a cardboard sleeve so it didn’t get crushed in the post.

I hate when beauty boxes are filled with leaflets and the usual junk, but these leaflets all have discount codes on them – my bank balance isn’t so happy about that but they’re a nice touch.

Anyway, I’m going off on a tangent.

Inside the Skincare Stars box was:

L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream 15ml 

Worth £8.70 

 Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate 4ml 

Worth £4.80 

 Melvita Youthful Day Cream 15ml 

Worth £9.60 

 Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser 30ml 

Worth £5.10 

 Etat Pur Micellar Cleansing Water 190ml (Full size) 

Worth £6.40 

 Balance Me Moisture-Rich Face Cream 10ml 

Worth £4.80

L’Occitane Angelica Hydration Cream – since I’ve got very oily skin I tend to avoid moisturisers that are too moisturising. However I think if I was having a no makeup day at home then this would be perfect for me as my skin took a break.

Kiehl’s Midnight Recovery Concentrate – I love night treatments! They’re perfect for repairing skin and this product promises to do just that. Also it dispenses in a pipette, which I think is really cool (yes, I’m sad).

Melvita Youthful Day Cream – I’d never actually heard of Melvita before, but they are apparently the sister company of L’Occitane. I LOVE L’Occitance so I’ve got high hopes for this.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser – This cleanser has got little scrubby bits in it and I’m really looking forward to using it.

Etat Pur Micellar Cleansing Water – This is probably the product that I’m most looking forward to using. I really want to see how it fares against my Bioderma.

Balance Me Moisture-Rich Face Cream – balanceMe is a brand I’d never heard of until I started getting beauty boxes, but I really like their products. Again, I’d have to use this on a non-makeup day just to keep the oil at bay, but I’m looking forward to this. 

Overall I’m really happy with this box. I can’t wait to start using and reviewing some of these products. This box was £8.95 + £2.95 P+P, but it’s worth almost £40 so it’s more than worth it.

Did you get a Skincare Stars box?

The New Beauty Box In Town: Lux Box, April

This morning the eagerly anticipated Lux Box arrived at my door. It’s the first box from the company and I was really excited to receive it as they’ve been doing a lot of research into what kind of box people would have wanted.

They were running an introductory offer of 25% off so I received the box for £10.40 (inc. P&P) instead of £12.95 – which seems like the average price for boxes these days.  

The mailing box was a pretty boring cardboard box, with no branding. I only realised it was my Lux Box because it was posted last week, and it’s the only other beauty box I get along with GB.

The box itself is a lot like GB box. I love the logo and print on the top, it seems quite sophisticated.

Inside the box is black tissue and cardboard shavings, accentuated with a pink sticker and ribbon. This is pretty much the standard packaging for beauty boxes.

SO, here’s what I got in the box:

STEAMCREAM in ‘Ambigue’ tin – Worth £12

Eldora False Lashes – Worth £4.90 (I think!)

BM Beauty Eyeshadow (2 x 1g) – Worth £7

Balance Me Wonder Eye Cream – Worth £13

MOA The Green Balm – Worth £X?

Total: £36.90

Steamcream – I know people are disappointed as this is a repeat from the last Carmine. I love this cream though so I’m really happy it’s in there! Smells lavender-y and absorbs really quickly. And it’s made with steam! Steamcream is apparently the sister company of Lush, and I just love Lush products so this is a definite keeper! Plus this tin is limited edition, love it!

Eldora False Lashes – Another repeat also. I don’t wear lashes myself and I wouldn’t give these a try any way because I don’t like the diamantes. I love the fact that there’s a mix of products though, so I can’t complain that they’re in there.

BM Eye Shadow – Again, repeated. I didn’t like them the first time round and I don’t like them this time. However, I’m pleased there’s makeup. I’m also pleased that there are two this time around. I wouldn’t wear pink or purple eye shadow, as it’s not really me but I do love the fact that they’re mineral, as I love mineral makeup.

Balance Me Eye Cream – I love the Balance Me brand. They’re always popping up in beauty boxes, but I don’t mind, as I love some of the products that I’ve tried over the last few months. Will definitely be giving this a whirl too, if it’s anything like the other products I’ve tried then I know I’ll want the full size!

MOA Green Balm – It’s actually quite bad that this is the smallest product in the box and even though I’m yet to use it it’s my favourite and I’m sure I’ll buy the full size. I’m a sucker for multi-use products. The fact that it’s natural and can be used in your hair, on your face, on your body, AND can be gargled with water is astonishing (plus many more uses!). I absolutely love stuff like this. Disappointed that there was no indication of sample size or worth so I couldn’t work out how much its worth, but hey.

Overall

Overall I’m really pleased. Yes, there are some items I wouldn’t use but you can’t please everyone when it comes to beauty boxes, and the fact that there are things I like and brands I don’t know make it worthwhile. This box also gives me hope for the coming boxes too. I was really disappointed with the first SheSaid box, but I love this one. £40 worth of products for £10.40? Don’t mind if I do, ta!

Another point is that there are a whopping SIX discount codes in the little leaflet inside. SIX. Crazy. Underneath every product description there’s a discount code, either for that specific product or the brand in general. Then there’s the bonus discount of 50% of individual eyelash extensions. For those who’ve read my freebie posts you’ll know I love a good bargain, so these were a lovely touch! Will I be using them? Of course!

I don’t want to jinx it, but I think I may have found my Carmine replacement!

Did anyone else get a Lux Box?

Latest in Beauty Themed Box: Editors Pick Box

Earlier this week LIB released their Editors Pick beauty box.

My box arrived this morning and here’s what I got:

L’Occiatane Immortelle Divine Cream 3ml – Worth £4

Emma Hardie Lift & Sculpt Plumping Serum 10ml – Worth £14

Eve Lom Rescue Mask 15ml – Worth £8.40

Miners Nail Colour in Marshmallow – Worth £2.99

AD Skin Synergy Nourishing Night Treatment 5ml – Worth £3.80

The box cost £5.95 plus £2.95 P&P, but with over £30 worth of products then you can’t really go wrong.

L’Occiatane Immortelle Divine Cream – looking forward to trying this but the sample looks a bit too small for me to really be able to make a decision on it.

Emma Hardie Lift & Sculpt Plumping Serum – not really interested in anti-ageing products, but this promises to provide ‘deep hydration’ to the skin. So we’ll see.

Eve Lom Rescue Mask – I’ve got really oily skin so I love clay masks. It can also be used to cure puffy, tired eyes so I’m excited to see if it lives up to that.

Miners Nail Colour – as an avid shellac’er I’m not sure how much I’ll use this. Cute colour though.

AD Skin Synergy Nourishing Night Treatment – again anti-ageing but I’m quickly running out of my current face oil so we’ll give this one a try.

As much as I love LIB Themed Boxes and the contents of this one, the full size products are a little on the pricey side and not very compatible with my student budget. However, I do love the fact that boxes like this give me the chance to try products that I wouldn’t be able to afford otherwise.

Bittersweet.

Did anyone else get one of these boxes? What did you think?

PS. The beautiful Nora over at BBS actually got this box for me, as I knew it would sell out before payday arrived. I’m trying to get her to start a blog but my attempts have failed. BUT you can check out her eBay here as she’s selling some amazing beauty products at low prices.