Empties #3

 I love doing an empties post because it means I can finally get rid of all the empty bottles I've been hoarding in my room for this purpose so the time has come where I finally have enough finished products to share with you!

It's been a long time since I last done an empties post so I have two deodorants that I've used up which are both by Soft & Gentle because they're my favourite brand for deodorants. I don't really look for much in deodorant other than it smells nice and these ones have lots of different scents and they always smell gorgeous so thats why I always pick them.

Shampoo and conditioner wise I have used up another Mane n Tail shampoo which is amazing for hair growth. I have stopped using it for the meantime though because I have long hair already and I have other shampoos to use up first. I have also used up the Tresemme Split Remedy shampoo and conditioner because my hair is very split endy and long overdue a cut. That being said I don't think they did anything to help split ends, once they're there they're there to stay! (wasn't that a mouthful..)

My deep conditioner that I've been using is Aussie's 3 minute miracle deep conditioner because this smells absolutely amazing and leaves my hair really soft and easy to brush. I would definitely repurchase this again when I need a new deep conditioner.

Obviously over Christmas I was using the amazing Snow Fairy shower gel because it isn't Christmas without snow fairy! Can you tell it's been lying on its side in my 'empties bag' for a long while? I always repurchase this at Christmas time because it has the most gorgeous scent.

I've used up two foundations since I last done an empties, my favourite ever L'Oreal True Match and Rimmel Wake Me Up. As much as I love Wake Me Up, I've since found a new favourite so for the time being I won't be repurchasing but it still is a fab foundation that I might go back to in the future. Of course I have already repurchased True Match because it is my holy grail foundation.

I got this body butter when I was on holiday in Italy and it is amazing on skin thats either sunburnt or just hot from being in the sun all day. Another thing this ones good for is rubbing on your feet after a long day because the aloe vera in it seems to just cool and relax the skin. Next time I'm abroad I may well purchase this because it was lovely but I have plenty of other amazing body butters so wouldn't ship it over from Sephora specially.

This will be the first ever empty fragrance that has made it to one of these posts, in fact one of the very few perfume bottles that I've actually ever got to the bottom of. River Island Paris is such a gorgeous scent and it's obviously really affordable too because it's from the high street. I love this perfume so much that I already have a refill on the go. It is my favourite scent in Summer time and I wore this non stop during first year of uni and when I had just turned 18 so it reminds me of going out and nights out.

I've used up my bottle of St Tropez tan which I loved. This gives such a gorgeous glow, smells and feels amazing on the skin. As much as I love this though I probably wouldn't buy it again unless it was for a special occasion/on offer because St Moritz is a pretty good dupe for it.

My big bottle of Bioderma has now ran out, I use this every night to take off my make-up and it works like a dream. I do love this but again have found a cheaper alternative to take my make up off with so probably won't go back to this. 

My beloved La Roche Posay finally died after a long successful life. I love this product, it's a gem and I would 100% recommend this to anybody struggling with their skin whether its redness or spots this will definitely make an improvement. I wouldn't think twice about repurchasing this if my skin gets troublesome again but its done such a good job that I don't even need it anymore.

I hope you enjoyed getting an insight into my empty products and the reasons on why I will or will not be repurchasing them, What products have you used up recently? Have you tried any of these ones?

Lots of Love,

♥

Have a Lush Valentines Day || Haul

Happy Valentines Day you beautiful bunch!

Obviously with it being Valentines Day today, I thought it would be nice to share some bits and bobs that I picked up from the Lush Valentines day range because I am a magnet to anything that glitters, sparkles or smells nice!

The first thing I picked up was the giant love locket that left a giant dent in my purse at near enough £7 which I think is pretty expensive for a bath ballistic. However this beauty does redeem itself in the fact that it would do about three baths with its outer shell and also contains another bath ballistic inside it. I am looking forward to using this but not to having to cut it up and separate it. Although I was planning to avoid this one in order to save money, it smelt so beautiful that I just had to pick it up. It has a very sweet vanilla scent but not overpowering, it's a really nice smell.

I also picked up the Unicorn Horn which is so different to anything I've seen Lush do before. It has so many colours in it, pastel colours which obviously drew me in and has sparkles and pretty little stars. This one I'm not entirely sure of what the smell is but I know I wouldn't have bought it for its smell alone, it was definitely the aesthetics that made me fall in love with this one. It's quite a relaxing, herbal, lavender almost earthy smell, definitely not a favourite by scent but it is growing on me slowly but surely.

I was in need of another Lush lip scrub because my bubblegum one has started to taste a little funky because its passed its use by date so instead of buying the same again I thought I would go for something different. In the end I went for The Kiss with it being Valentines and all, this has cute little sprinkles on top and love hearts. I wasn't sure about getting a limited edition one because I really don't like the Christmas Santa lip scrub but I'm hoping this one will be a lot nicer!

The last thing I bought isn't from the Valentines collection but I believe it may be part of the Mothers day collection because I haven't seen it before in the shop is this Ultraviolet bubble bar. It looks a lot like the Comforter or Brightside but in deep purple and blues but it was it's beautiful scent that made me unable to leave the shop without it. Parma violets are one of my favourite sweets from my childhood and this smells exactly like a big packet of parma violets, so like it that if I closed my eyes I'd probably try eat it. This one was nearly £5 but this is massive so you could definitely get four baths out of this and I'm so excited to see what colour the water goes with this one.

Have you tried anything from Lushes Valentines collection? What are you doing this Valentines? Me and Gary are just going out for a nice meal, then out for some drinks before coming home to watch a movie and have snuggles with the pup. Hope you all have a lovely night whatever you're doing! 

Lots of Love,

♥

Lush Fizzbanger || Review

I'm quite the Lushie and have tried many of Lushes products but most of the ones I have tried have been from their Christmas or Halloween range. My favourite scents are usually released around this time and I don't have as many baths in the warmer months. This is a bath ballistic from Lushes standard range and I got this in the Fizzbanger gift set which was based around this product, Fizzbanger.

 The first thing that struck me about this product is how big it was, are the normal range products always slightly bigger than their limited edition products?? It's a bright yellow colour and has a citrus smell. Lush themselves describe it as "releasing first a citrus apple and then a cinnamon, apple pie like scent with a hint of ylang yang". I think this is an accurate description because it does have that citrus scent but with a bit of something added not too sweet not too spicy just really fresh and nice. I'm surprised this isn't released for fireworks night because it contains popping candy and is called Fizzbanger.  Apparently this also contains 'Petitgram' which is used to calm breathing, slow the heartbeat and reduce anxiety. I don't truly believe that anything can fix anxiety but I certainly forgot about my stresses and relaxed while I was in the bath.

 In the bath this is a pretty interesting one, it explodes into yellow foam and then spins round like a 'Catherine Wheel' as Lush says and blue colour comes out and the colour goes from highlighter yellow to a lime green and then develops into a gorgeous rich green colour.

Another nice touch to this bath ballistic that I only actually noticed while I was draining my bath was it had a little sheet of paper in it saying 'BANG!'. I thought this was a really nice touch and it might actually be a transferable tattoo as I was trying to pick it off the bottom of the bath the words removed from it onto my skin so I didn't manage to get a photo of it.

This costs £3.35 which is slightly more than Lushes regular ballistics but considering the size of it and what a nice bath it gives, it's a lovely treat especially for those needing to de-stress.

Lots of Love,

♥ 

December Favourites || Blogmas Day 24

 Can you believe that blogmas is nearly over?? Its going to be so strange not sitting down and writing a post every single day! At the end of the year/start of the new year I'm going to be doing a 2014 favourites (best products of 2014) so to seperate that from my December favourites I'm doing this a little earlier than usual so I hope you don't mind.
 

 My favourite eyeshadows this month have been from my Make-Up Revolution Flawless palette which has gorgeous rich earthy tones in it. I've been loving the burgandy shades and the gold shades because they just look really beautiful at this time of year or with a red lip.

 I've also been loving my Make-Up Revolution concealer palette because it is so handy having a range of concealer shades in one palette. My favourite one is the bottom far left because it's really yellow toned so works well to counteract any under eye bags.

Christmas jumpers seem to have come out of nowhere and have taken over fashion when it comes to December. I have been loving being able to wear my cute Topshop gingerbread man jumper again. We've had the 12 days of Christmas jumpers at my work and I always get lots of compliments on it from customers and friends. Sadly Topshop aren't selling it again this year so I don't think you'll be able to get your hands on it, sorry!

Obviously with it being Christmas jumper season I just had to get Luca one. The only reason I was allowed to get him one was for his puppy Christmas party which was adorable by the way. I've had it on him way more than just that though, he's had it on almost everyday and he actually really likes it. When I put his harness on he wriggles around but with his jumper he happily lets me put it on him and it seems to have some sort of calming effect. I think it has a snuggling effect like the Thundershirt does for nervous dogs. It has a little Christmas hood which is a tiny bit snug for his massive quiff but still cute.

 It will be no surprise to anyone that dark lips are in my favourites. This month it's been Make-Up Revolution shades in 100% vamp and Blackheart. I promise I am not at all sponsored by Make-Up Revolution or sent their products I just genuinely love this brand. They are slightly messy to apply but if you take the time and effort applying boy do they look good!!! I am still slightly nervous when wearing these out but I've been much more confident with it throughout December and gone with it. The other lipstick that I've had on this month is Russian Red by Mac because it's so perfect and Christmassy.

My shower time favourites in December are Bob the Polar Bear from The Body Shop which has been renamed as Bear for the foreseeable until I think of a better name because Bob is not a name for a polar bear right?! I love this so much, not only is it super cute but it lathers up shower gel nicely and it also gently exfoliates your skin at the same time. I even like using this on my face because it's such a gentle exfoliant. I pair this with Lush So White shower gel which smells like freshly squeezed apples to get lovely soft skin. As I'm sure you all know by now So White is one of if not my most favourite Lush product so I really want them to make both the ballistic and the shower gel permanent instead of just at Christmas time.

My favourite Winter perfume this month has been Lady Gaga's Fame. I am not a Lady Gaga fan but I do love the smell of her perfume. The bottle isn't the most travel friendly and looks more like some kind of weapon but the scent and overall look of the actual fragrance itself is pretty special.

I had never tried Urban Decay eyeliners before this month even though I had heard they were incredible so I'm not sure why. This one is one of the double ended Naked 3 ones, one side is 'Darkside' and the other side is 'Blackheart'. If you own the Naked 3 palette then these eyeliners match the eyeshadows they share their name with perfectly, Blackheart is a black with red flecks through it which looks super pretty under your eyes and Darkside is a browny taupe shade which is perfect as an everyday eyeliner. When you wear these eyeliners with their matching shadows they look even more impressive but they're really versatile.

My Christmas time nail polish favourite is OPI's Which is Witch shade, it's such a pretty silver glitter and the glitter is quite chunky so you don't need loads of coats to build it up. I really like that the glitter chunks and strands are all different shapes and sizes so it gives a very nice finish. I've had this on this month as a top coat, an accent nail and on all nails too. It also looks really pretty when worn just on the tips of nails.

What have been your favourite products this month?

Lots of Love,

♥

Stocking Filler Gift Guide For Her Part 1 || Blogmas Day 6

Buying presents for people for Christmas has got to be one of the hardest things ever because it's so difficult to know you're not buying something the person already has or something they don't like. Therefore I have tried to compile a wide variety of things for different ages, that are of different prices and for different types of people. Hopefully whether you're hunting for that perfect Secret Santa present or some stocking fillers or even just a little extra present to buy a special girl in your life then you'll find something here that will suit.

The first ideal stocking filler for most girls is a book, I chose Gone Girl because this film has been so popular and I know a lot of people have been left wanting to read the book. However, try to personalise it as much as you can, if your sister, mum, girlfriend, friend likes baking then buy a book about that or if they like animals then buy a book based on that. It's always nice to know that someone has thought about the gift they are giving you by giving you something that they know you're interested in. Obviously this is only ideal if the girl you're buying a present for reads books but if she doens't you could adapt this and buy a coffee table book instead.

Another ideal stocking filler that I know I would be over the moon to receive in my stocking this year is any of the MakeUp Revolution products. They have amazing makeup that is both good quality and super affordable, you can get lipsticks from a pound and 32 eyeshadow palettes for £8. For any makeup junkie or even just a girl who likes to wear a bit of simple makeup now and again you need to get them this for under the tree.

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 Another one for the girls into their beauty or pampering is the Crabtree & Evelyn seasonal polishes. I think these have been released especially for Christmas which means it's unlikely that the person you're buying these for is going to have seen them and bought them yet. They do a pretty red shade too but these ones are my favourite, a metallic gold and a metallic silver. I actually have the silver shade on just now and I'm feeling very Christmassy with my pretty nails!

Another beauty must have for girls this Christmas is the Tanya Burr lipglosses. I've heard mixed opinions on these but I stand by the fact that the shades 'Afternoon Tea', 'Picnic In The Park' and 'Aurora' are good'uns. They're also pretty natural shades too so most girls will like them and suit them regardless of whether they're massively into beauty or Tanya Burr. Tanya has also released some pretty gift sets and new lipgloss shades especially for Christmas but because I haven't tried them I didn't want to recommend those ones.

Crabtree also do the best most moisturising hand cream around so if you know someone who likes a good pamper or even an older person I think they would really appreciate this gift. They do have some gorgeous Christmas scents released for Christmas too and I know I'll definitely be picking up a few of these for my mum and gran!

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For the younger girls my reccomendation is a So gift set like this So Kiss me set. They are so affordable to buy and also look much more expensive because of how much you get for your money. This one contains a perfume and a body lotion but there are ones that contain a lipstick in them too which would be great for someone starting out in beauty. This would be good if there was a secret Santa at school too or at brownies/girl guides etc.

 When I saw these in Primark I just had to pick them up because they're so Christmassy and cute. Apologies about the dog hairs on them, as I was photographing these Luca decided he would have a nap on them... Anyway's I love gingerbread men and I have the gingerbread jumper from Topshop and I also have gingerbread socks so you know what I'll be wearing this Christmas! I also think these would make a fab stocking filler so that the person can wear them on Christmas day or boxing day. In our family we usually dress up for Christmas and then wear a Christmas jumper/leggings for boxing day. These only cost £8 too so are a great cost effective gift!

This could also count as a main present but because you can get affordable ones too I included it in the stocking filler. Statement necklaces are a must all year round, they totally complete an outfit and add some glitz to it. I think a clear jeweled statement necklace that isn't too big would make an ideal stocking filler for any girl because it could easily be incorporated into any outfit. I got this one from Marks & Spencers earlier on in the year but there are loads of fab sites for statement necklaces!

Something my parents always include in my stocking is a pair of cosy pj's and I think they're a great present for every girl because lets face it all girls wear pj's either to bed or for lounging around in. Primark do the best cosy jammies and because it's Primark they're reasonably priced too so definitely worth looking into.

Cosy slipper socks or fluffy socks are another one of Primark's finest Christmas items. They keep your feet so warm that in the Winter months these are essential. I actually wear these all year round in my house to keep my feet warm though. They only cost £2/£3 too so they're great as an add on present or if you just want to give someone a Christmas surprise.

I actually got this for my birthday from my parents but I think it would make the most beautiful Christmas present. It's a heart shaped frame with frames inside to put multiple photo's in. I really need to get round to filling this up which is what I plan to do once university finishes for Christmas. I'm not sure where they got it from but both Tkmaxx/HomeSense and The Range both do really nice photo frames which would make the perfect Christmas present. If you wanted to add an extra special touch you could always fill it in with photos of you and the person or photos you know the person would like. It's the personal gifts like this that are the best because time and thoughts are more precious than money.

The last thing I have included in my stocking filler for her gift guide is a Lush product or gift set depending on how your budget is set. This one is Drummers Drumming which is one of Lushes specific Christmas releases but there are so many different ones on offer ranging in both scent and price. There really is something for everyone and if the girl you're buying for doesn't have a bath then there's always soaps, shower jellies and shower gel!

There is actually a part two to this gift guide because after I had photographed it all I found a few more things that would make great stocking fillers and also felt it was a bit much for one post so stay tuned for that!

Lots of Love,

♥

*This post does contain some products which have been gifted to me for the purpose of this post.