July & August Empties

Hi everyone! Well can you believe it is the 1st September already, the year is flying by!

I forgot to do my empties at the end of July and only remembered when I went to put another empty bottle in the bag I keep my empties in so I thought I would do a combined post.  I still have £40 saved up from my empties to the end of June.

Ojon Damage Reverse Shampoo and Conditioner - You can read my initial review here. After using this shampoo and conditioner for a few months I do still really like it but I wouldn't pay full price of £41.50 now.  I have found some other products recently that I really like.

L'Oreal Elvive Full Restore 60 Second Saviour - This makes my hair lovely and soft and is very moisturising. This retails for £4.99 in Boots. I would repurchase.

Percy & Reed Moisturising Shampoo - This is nice but at £14.00 for 250ml I wouldn't repurchase as there are cheaper products that I prefer.

All full size items so £4 in the pot.

Essential Care Organic Rose Moisturiser - I got this in my May Joliebox, it is a lovely moisturiser doesn't break me out and I can actually feel it tightening my skin when I use it. 50ml retails at £19 here.  I wouldn't repurchase though as I am loving the next product!

Layla D Honey Moisturiser - You can read my review here.  I really struggle to find moisturisers that agree with my skin but this is fabulous. Would definitely repurchase.

Elemis Pro Collagen Body Cream - this retails at £9.99 here for 50ml, the full size is a whopping £49 for 200ml on the Elemis UK website! This smells lovely but I don't notice any firming or lifting effects when I use it. I have a couple of these body creams through beauty boxes/swaps as it smells lovely but I wouldn't repurchase it.

Apivita Express Beauty with Honey Face Mask - You can buy a two pack for £5.72 here. This left my skin lovely and soft and plumped up! Would repurchase.

4 Sample Sizes thats £2 in the pot.

FAB Cleanser - Think I have had this in every single empties post! Nice product and I'm on my last tube of it now.  Full size retails at £13 in Boots. I would repurchase.

Murad AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser - Full size of 200ml retails for £34 on the Murad website.  I loved using this! It made my skin squeaky clean! But I didn't realise how much it cost :( I would definitely repurchase if I could find it cheaper! 

Clarins Water Purify One Step Cleanser with Mint Essential Water- Full size retails for £13.88 here.  I like this, it removed my make up including my eye make up without stinging or causing breakouts and it smells lovely! I would repurchase.

Lancome Bi-Facil Sensitive Eyes Instant Cleanser - Full size of 125ml retails for £17.85 here.   I find it does take a bit of rubbing to remove my mascara with this, I have a full size that I am using but I wouldn't repurchase this.  Happy if it comes in a GWP set though!

4 Sample sizes another £2 in the pot.

Rituals Foaming Shower Gel in Sunrise - Retails for £6.90 here.  This is my last Rituals shower gel and I will definitely be picking more up! They smell gorgeous and are very moisturising.

Molton Brown Vitalising Vitamin A, B + C Bath and Shower - 300ml retails for £15.60 here.  This smells nice but personally I wouldn't spend that amount on bath and shower gel so I wouldn't repurchase.

Gorgeous by Gok Body Wash - This reminds me of Christmas as Ialways pick up a set when it's on offer! It smells so good and doesn't dry out my skin.  I think you can only buy this at Christmas as I can't find it on Boots website.  Will be repurchasing.

Champneys Watermint Body Scrub - This retails for £6 here.  Wow this is fab! The smell is a real pick me up and the scrub is great, not drying and just the right amount and size of beads. Definitely repurchasing.

3 full size and a sample is £3.50 in the pot.

Total of £11.50 added this month making £51.50!!

June Empties

I can't believe June is over already, this month has gone so fast!! Hopefully July will bring some summer weather and less of this awful rain that we have been having.

I had saved up £31 at the end of May, and this is everything I used this month.

Full size Ojon volume shampoo and conditioner.

These retail at nearly £40 for the pair, I do really like Ojon products but for volume I prefer John Freida volume range for a quarter of the price so I wouldn't repurchase these.

Both full size so £2 in the pot.

The Body Shop dreams unlimited shower gel - I got this in a set with body lotion and a perfume. I love the scent, its very fresh and floral. This is on special offer at the moment for £3.90 on the Body Shop website. 

Rituals foaming shower gel in Mandarin & Mint. I do love these shower gels, they smell divine and are so moisturising. I have one I am using at the moment and one in the cupboard  so I need to stock up! They retail for £6.90 at John Lewis but I always keep an eye out in TK Maxx as they have them now and again on special offer. 

I would repurchase both of these, but the Rituals is definitely my favourite.

Both full size so another £2. 

These are all the products I used up on holiday! 

You can read about them on my holiday post

L-R

Sample size Vanitas Versace Perfume

2 x Sample size Lolilta Lempicka Perfumes

Full size Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash

Travel Size Ojon Shampoo

Travel size Ojon Conditioner

Sample size Green People Suncream

Sample size Bharti Vyas Face & Neck Polisher

Full size Champneys Body Butter

I would repurchase the body butter and the perfumes but nothing else.

Thats another £5, so total of £9 this month making the total £40!

I'm in the middle of using up quite a few products so I think July is going to have a lot of empties!

What I packed in my suitcase!

Do you panic about what to pack when you take on holiday or are you a laid back chuck everything in a bag kind of packer?

I always pack the night before I go away although mentally I have been packing for weeks! I think about what I have in my wardrobe, anything I need to buy - always a new bikini and a maxi dress - accessories that match and so when I come to pack my suitcase it hardly takes me any time at all!

But this is where the panic part of me sets in...toiletries and cosmetics! So these are the items I took with me.

I bought the Ojon colour sustain 4 piece starter kit while they had the offer on to get a free full size shampoo and conditioner knowing the kit would be an ideal travel size. I didn't take the colour protecting cream with me.

I used up all the shampoo and conditioner - they were perfect sizes for my midlength hair for a week.

I used the hair treatment a couple of times in the week.  The tub is small but it will last me for ages as you only need a small amount. Its solid in the tub and you use the little round dish to scoop some out then warm it in your hands to turn it into an oil.  It smells very strongly and its not very pleasant but it made my hair lovely and soft.

Moroccanoil Hairspray - I find this quite a light hold hairspray, its easy to brush out and is not sticky at all. It also leaves a nice shine to your hair.

Fiji Oil - this smells like holidays! and Berber Oil which smells like Haribo!

Used both of these on my hair (and yes I probably didn't need to take two oils) I like both of these, not too heavy on my hair left it nice and soft and took away the frizz.  Thumbs up to both.

Perfume samples - perfect holiday size.

I used the Versace in the evenings and the Lolita Lempicka's in the day.  Although I could only spray tiny amount of the Lolitas and they were only 1/3 full when I get them as samples.

Picked up the deodorant in the airport as I normally use sprays and I never know if I can take them on the plane or not??

Essential Care Rose Moisturiser - I really liked this, it smells lovely, easily absorbed and could feel it tightening my face. I want to repurchase this when it runs out.

FAB Face Cleanser - if you are a regular reader of my blog you will know I love this cleanser.

Balance Me eye cream - this is really naughty but I think I only used this once on holiday!

Bharti Vyas Face and Neck Polisher - I like this scrub it makes my skin smooth and soft, it contains walnut shavings which sounds a bit harsh! But its a lovely scrub.

Balance Me Rose Otto Body Wash - the balance me body washes are so moisturising I just wish I liked the smell a bit better! They smell really strong and herbally to me and its really not a scent I would chose.  I thought I would like the rose one as when I first opened the tube it smelt of turkish delight! But after a week of using it it seemed to change to the strong herbal smell.

I used a squirt of this in the bath and it foams up brilliantly!

Soap and Glory Glow Lotion - I used this in the evenings for a bit of shimmer on my arms and legs.

Champneys Skin Comforting Body Butter - I loved this! Its easily absorbed, smells gorgeous and has over taken my favourite body shop butters to become my no1 body butter!

I always buy sun cream from the Solait Range at Superdrug, 

As we haven't had any sun this year and I was shockingly white I thought it was sensible to go for a high factor cream, I got the tan activating version and I could actually tell the different! My legs got a tan for the first time in years!

I got this aftersun as the hotel is next to a nature reserve so I thought there would have been lots of insects but I didn't see any bugs! Or get bitten so either this is the most amazing insect replellent ever or the bug problem was not as bad as I thought it would be....

I took the Green People tan accelerator sun cream that I got in my She Said Beauty box with me to use on my face. It smells like all the other products I have used from Green People. The cream is quite thick, but easily absorbed and didn't break me out.

I didn't notice any tanning over and above how brown my face would normally go (one shade up from porcelain LOL!) but it may be that I spent the week with my head in a book!

Ok this may be strange but I never pack my good makeup as I get scared it will get lost!

RMK Face base - love this but didn't use it at all on holiday!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - Just used a tiny bit of this at night then nothing once my face got a bit of colour

Real Technique Stippling Brush and Powder Brush

Body Shop Blusher Brush

MeMeMe Arch Angel - I bought this just before we went so it was the first time I tried it on holiday, great colour on me as its quite dark.  I will do a post on this once the tint on my eyebrows wears off.

China Glaze Pink Chiffon - used this on my fingers and toes for the week (I did want to take a lot more nail polish but was persuaded by my friends on BBS that I only needed one!)

Lancome Hypnose Mascara - this is a sample size mascara and needed using up so perfect for holidays.

No7 Translucent Face Powder - nice loose powder and does stop me being shiny!

VIVO Palette - used the eyeshadows a few times in the evenings, great colours and I love the blusher its one of my favourites.

Stila Eye Mousse in Copper - this looks great with a tan, didn't crease and stayed on all night.

Two L'oreal Infallible Eyeshadows - I bought these for my holiday as they are waterproof but I didn't use them, oops!

Stila Convertible Colour Lip and Blush in Gladiola - This is not very good on the lips as the staying power is not great and the colour a bit strong for me but as a blush I love it, especially with the copper eye mousse. Easy to blend, great staying power and the colour is beautiful.

Pout Horny Hilda Lipgloss - perfect for the daytime.

MeMeMe Lipstick in China Rose - lovely colour and  as it contains shea butter is very moisturising.

Revlon Colourstay Palette - I didn't use this either!

Thought I would share a few holiday pics with you

The hotel where we stayed in Isla Canela

The harbour in Isla Canela

The beautiful beach, full of shells that my son liked to collect!

The beach went on for miles.

That was a long post wasn't it! Hope you found it interesting, do you have trouble travelling light or knowing what to take with you?

Don't forget to enter my giveaway! I'll be updating it with some more prizes at the weekend!

Surprise (AMAZING) Swap!

Hi All, hope you are all having a good weekend.  I'm having a great weekend, got lots of blog posts to do but I'm starting with the most amazing secret swap box that I received today from the lovely Nardine over at lipsticknhandbags.

As you know I am part of the beauty box swapping group over on Facebook, every month or so Nardine and I send each other a box full of surprises that we think the other person will like.  We started off with glossyboxes filled with goodies but last month ended up with big cardboard boxes full of stuff and well this month Nardine has truly outdone herself, I am truly amazed, overwhelmed and touched by how much thought and effort she puts into getting together goodies that she knews I will love. I must apologise for the awful photos - the light is bad, my camera is rubbish - I really need to save for a new one.

So first up I opened the huge cardboard box to find these fantastic goodies for my doggie Henry, hes a naughty dalmatian and I am going to take the book to work and read it in my lunch times.  She has also sent him a harness which is brilliant as he is a very strong doggie.

Henry says "woof, thanks for the treats, woof!" 

She also packed these goodies into the main box;

Full size shampoo and conditioner, great for my coloured brunette hair

I had no idea what this plastic shaker was when I opened that box, but its a facemask! How cool! Can't wait to try it :)

Body wash and lotion, cherry blossom, peach and white jasmine scented, they smell gorgeous.

Wowzers! Cannot wait to have a play with this.

I'm off on my hols soon and these will be coming with me

This book will be coming too :)

 Next in the box was this bag from River Island - I love it!

Will be using this from tomorrow morning.  She filled the bag with the following goodies!

Naughty Nardine! My WW leader will not be pleased with you, I however am pleased! There was another egg but sadly it never made the photo......

Necklace and lipgloss

Hairclips and bracelets

Bottle stopper - how pretty!

Booklight - this is so handy, I read in bed all the time so now I don't have to annoy hubby with the side lamp!

A black clutch/purse with white feather detail - she knows I love bird print and I love this!

And as if that wasn't enough!! A glossybox decorated with 3d doggie stickers!!

Look theres Henry!

  

Shampoo, Conditioner and Volume Mousse - great sizes for my hols.

Perfume

I'm a sucker for lip balms, I keep them on my desk in work and use them throughout the day.  Can't wait to try these two.

Bath salts, smell lovely.

ELF Blusher in tickled pink

Ojon hair serum

Andrea Fulerton nail polish

Versace perfume

Urban Decay tinted moisturiser

Love this lip crayon! Bright pink, been wearing it this afternoon :)

MAC Eyeshadow mousse, the colour is perfect for me

My first Kleancolour nail polish!

Will be painting my nails this colour tomorrow!

A lovely card and a lovely keepsake

Right back at ya Nardine!

I honestly am overwhelmed by this amazing box, I will use every single thing thats in it! There is one thing I'm not happy about though..............this has ruined it for every single beauty box I'm subscribed to! They could never in a million years beat this box!! ;)

I just want to say a huge thank you to my friend Nardine and I hope you love the box I am sending to you, even if its half as much as I love this box I know I'll have done a good job :)