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,

♥

Beauty Faves || July

 This month I have quite a few new favourites alongside some old ones. Sorry it's a little bit later into the month but I've had some Canon issues but I've bought an SD card reader so hopefully that will be all my Canon problems ironed out! Anyway onto my favourites.

 The first beauty favourite I've had this month is an old favourite and that is my original Naked palette. A long time ago, actually the first post I ever wrote (before I even had any means of people reading/finding my blog), I did a review and comparison of the Naked one and the Naked two palette. In that post I said I much prefered Naked two but I honestly am not sure anymore because I do really love them both. Over the Summer I have definitely prefered the original palette though especially 'Half Baked' but this month I've also been loving 'Darkhorse' and 'Toasted'. This is my holy grail eyeshadow palette and I'd be lost without it.

 A new beauty favourite I discovered this month is actually a perfume and it's DKNY's Red Delicious, the one that's in the red apple packaging. I got this as a gift from Gary's mum after she came back from her holiday, she kindly picked this up for me in duty free and I actually really love it. Which is surprising because I'm usually really picky but I love it which is amazing since I didn't pick it myself. I am awful at describing smells but apparently it smells of lychee, raspberry and it also has bergamot, rose, leather (leather in a perfume?!) and vanilla. It's such a strong perfume though which is partially why I love it because I know I can spray it on in the morning and smell it on me all day and as I mentioned previously I love when I can actually smell perfumes on myself. It's a very different smell to all the other perfumes in my collection.

 I've also been loving my Essence blusher that I did a review of in my Essence review but this is definitely my most favourite item that I was sent. I've not used any other blusher since I was sent this because I just love it so much and with the various shades that you can get from it I haven't needed another blusher. It's so super pigmented and it lasts all day on me and is the perfect colours for adding that pop of colour to your face. It's barely made a dent in the product either so I can see this blusher lasting me a long, long time.

 July has been a very busy month for me with events and with it being warmer weather too I've been loving having a nice glowing tan. The products I've used to acheive that this month is my St Tropez fake tan and my St Tropez tanning mitt. Before I've always just used Superdrug mitts but I must admit I am enjoying my luxurious St Tropez one and there's nothing better than a fresh tanning mitt (although after this month it's no longer very fresh anymore!)



I am a moisturising addict, I can't stand my skin feeling dry especially not my feet and because I work in retail my feet often get really sore because I'm standing on them all shift. My favourite foot cream at the moment is actually a body moisturiser but I like to use it on my feet and it's a Sephora body butter that I picked up whilst I was in Italy. This is the ultimate moisturising cream and it's so super soft. I actually have three of these but it's the aloe vera one I'm using at the moment because it's cooling properties are absolutely fab after a long day on your feet! You can tell how much I've been loving this because it's nearly all gone.




 My last favourite this month actually featured on this weeks MAC Monday and that was costa chic frost lipstick by MAC. It's the perfect coral colour and I've had lots of compliments on it when I've been wearing it to work. I love, love, love it in Summer it instantly freshens up your face and I'm personally a massive fan of coral lipsticks. If you want to know more about this lipstick then click here to read about it in detail.

Lots of Love,

♥

Cocktails and Pretty Nails || Sleeping Beauty Event

 Hellooo lovelies,

 Last Tuesday I attended a bloggers event at the Sleeping Beauty Salon just off Princes Street in Edinburgh where I was well and truly spoilt by the amazing staff there. Don't panic if you don't stay in Edinburgh though because there are six Sleeping Beauty salons throughout Scotland, sorry if you don't live in Scotland but hopefully you'll enjoy this post anyway!

 Firstly we were warmly welcomed and given a peach mohjito which tasted amazing and also there were absolutely stunning cupcakes (equally delicious) for us which I could have honestly eaten far more of than I probably should. They were actually from a company called Liggy's cakes which is also on William Street so if you live near Edinburgh (or Glasgow as there's one there) and are looking for a special handmade cake then check out their website. Then there was an appointment sheet where we could book in for various appointments such as party lashes, eyebrow waxing/threading, manicures and pedicures.

 First of all I went and sat downstairs with the gorgeous Amy who blogs beauty for ScotCampus and we had a lovely chat while we waited for an appointment to get our nails done. The Sleeping Beauty is so much bigger inside than you expect it to be it even has a lift which I think is fabulous for disabled customers or for those with buggies etc! The downstairs room Amy and I were waiting in was stunning it had lovely candles (that smelled equally amazing) and it had two really comfy loungers, it was so relaxing we honestly could have gone for a nap!

I got shellac nails done because standard nail polish always chips on me and never lasts very long so I'm always up for a gel mani! There were many many colours to chose from and I was a bit stuck between white and pink but in the end I went for my true love pink (CND tutti frutti to be precise). I was really impressed with them buuut I do have to say that one of my nails has chipped already which I am disappointed with because it had only been four days and I'd expect that from a regular nail polish but not a gel one. Whether that was the polish I chose or it could also be the fact that my nails are very weak and brittle but I'd definitely be willing to give them another go because the atmosphere is amazing and all the other girls mani's seem to be holding up well!

 The next treatment I was lucky enough to experience was the party lashes and the lashes that the salon use are Millie Mackintosh ones (from Made In Chelsea) and I was really excited to try them because I've heard amazing things about them. There was soo many styles to choose from but in the end I went for Shoreditch ones because they looked beautiful and they're one of the names I could remember hearing a lot about. Obviously nobody can apply eyelashes on you better than you but my beauty therapist did a very good job! Apparently the eyelashes can be kept on for a few days too but I don't know about that because I had to take mine off that night as I had heavy makeup on underneath that would not have been great to sleep in (and still look great the next day). You do get to keep the lashes though and they also come with mini tweezers and an eyelash glue which would be great for applying on the go!

 The next cocktail that their mixologist made me was a raspberry cosmopolitan which was also really gorgeous!

 The last treatment that I was treated too was a shellac pedicure. Definitely really happy about this because gel pedicures are amazing for Summer as toenails grow so slowly that they will last you the whole Summer and you don't need to worry about painting your toes. We've all been there when it suddenly gets sunny and your caught out with your hairy legs and half painted toe nails, this will solve one of these issues!! They're great for holidays too because I personally find regular nail polish just melts off in such intense heat and the pool can chip them too so gel nails are essential. I have dancers feet so they're all horrible and mishapen but for the purpose of being a good blogger I shall show you my pedicure! I went for pink shellac again (defo a pink addict) it was the CND bikini pink polish if anyone is interested. It reminds me of MAC's impassioned lipstick and my finger nails remind me of MAC's Girl About Town (apparently I'm also a MAC addict!). Again the pedicure treatment room was soo relaxing with little candles in lanterns and relaxing music playing.. you really could fall asleep and apparently a lot of their clients do drift off... I can definitely see why!

 Another nice aspect about this salon is that they actually have their own brand of products, of which my favourite were their candles. They smelt absolutely gorgeous!!

 They also have a wide range of Elemis products available, some of which they use in their treatments and some of which you can buy for personal use!

 We also got a very generous goody bag, I was overwhelmed by how kind the Sleeping Beauty Salon were, they truly spoilt us bloggers! I always love seeing what people got in goody bags from events so I thought I'd share what was in ours with you.

 I was so happy to see one of their own candles in my goody bag because I loved the smell of them so much and I love how cute this little heart shaped one is. It looks (and smells) gorgeous on my window ledge. We also got two little Sleeping Beauty chocolates.

 

 
 I was also really excited to see an Elemis set in my goody bag because I've always wanted to try Elemis products but never quite got round to it. The products included were Pro-Collagen marine cream, pro-radiance cream cleanser, pro-radiance hand and nail care, jasmine and rose milk bath and advanced brightening even tone serum. I may well do a review on these products soon!

 
 We also got a Dr. Bronner's magic soap and a Voys bright eyes cream.

 Probably the most exciting things in my goody bag though were a full size St Tropez tan (I told you they were generous) and a mitt to go with it. I love this fake tan and I'd literally used my last of it before going to this event so it was fab to get a new one and the mitts are very luxurious so I'm looking forward to using these.

 I obviously still have my reusable Millie lashes which I will definitely be wearing again soon!

 Finally we were given a voucher to arrange a complimentary Lava Shell treatment which sounds absolutely amazing. I love getting massages especially were heat is involved because I regularly get a sore back so I'm most definitely looking forward to this.

Thank you so much for having me Sleeping Beauty Salon. I look forward to seeing you again soon.

What's your favourite pamper treatment?

Lots of Love,

♥

St Moriz Tan v St Tropez || Comparison & Review

Hello my lovelies,

In my everyday tanning routine the fake tan I have always used and never had a problem with is St Moriz which is cheap and works perfectly well. However, I needed fake tan for a night out and I could not hunt down my usual tan anywhere because it was still not classed as 'tanning season so I picked up St Tropez tanning mousse. I thought I would do a comparison post on both these fake tans as often I tried to find one to see if St Tropez was better and never could so I thought I should do my own.

Packaging
 St Moriz is a lot and cheaper and that is definitely reflected in the packaging. It is quite simple with white, black and brown colouring but it conveys the information it needs too and for £3 you can't ask for Chanel standard packaging can you?! St Tropez wins on packaging for me just because of the pretty turquoise colours on the bottle and the lid and it looks a lot classier and more expensive (which it definitely is).

Scent
 The smell of the products is actually the only difference that I could find between the two. St Moriz just smells like fake tan which does not bother me at all, I'm not offended by the smell but you are left with that biscuity smell before you wash it off. Whereas St Tropez as soon as you pump it out gives off a gorgeous smell that smells like perfume and that lasts until you wash the tan off. This would be a definite plus if you wanted to apply the tan and go out before washing it off but I tend not to do this anyway because it usually results in the tan transferring onto clothing. So St Tropez definitely wins on the smell factor!

Finish
 The tan is the exact same when you pump it out, just a brown mousse which you buff onto your skin. I found both tans similar in appearance and texture and they both applied perfectly well. However the guide colour in St Moriz is a lot darker so much easier to see where you have missed bits which I prefer. Once the tan had developed both tans were similar, the only difference being that St Moriz gives you darker colour from one application and St Tropez gives more of a golden shade. For me I prefer going darker and was using two applications of St Tropez to acheive the colour St Moriz gives me so St Moriz definitely wins on colour.

Product Size
 The volume difference you get in the bottles is a drastic difference compared to the price. For £20 you can buy St Tropez 120ml or for £3 you can buy 200ml of St Moriz. For this reason alone even if the standard of the product was lower I think I would still have to go for St Moriz! There is definitely no visible reason in the outcome that justifies the £17 price difference.

Have you tried St Moriz and St Tropez? What do you think of them?

Previous Posts:-
Girl About Town || MAC Mondays
Day At The Museum || Lifestyle
Nars Copacabana Illuminator || Review

Lots of Love,

A x x x 

Haul, Haul, Haul! || Mac and Boots

Hellooo my lovelies,

 So I've been shopping again *slaps on wrists*. I think I need to ban myself from going anywhere near the shops because I always spend far too much money. I do still have a Spring/Summer clothes shop to do though so I will need to brave the shops a few more times yet before I can implement this ban! I will do a fashion haul post on that too if you'd be interested in seeing it!

 The first thing I picked up was St Tropez bronzing mousse and a new tanning mitt. I have never used this fake tan before because I love my St Moriz which is a fraction of the price, you can pick that one up for £3 and St Tropez is £20!! However, where I live apparently it's wrong to fake tan apart from in the main summer months so literally nowhere has it in stock! The only shops where I can get fake tan during the colder months is Boots and Superdrug and neither stock St Moriz sadly. This normally wouldn't be a big deal, I'd order it online and wait but I have a 21st on Saturday and I don't want to be a little ghost for that! Fingers crossed this tan gives me the effect that I get from St Moriz or better...(it better for £20 anyway!!). I also grabbed a new tanning mitt because my other one was filthy and I was long overdue a new one. Don't ya just love the feel of a new tanning mitt?! If you haven't used one to fake tan before then I definitely would because it gives the best finish!

 My Boots FINALLY had the Revlon colourburst Matte Balm stains in the colours I wanted! The colours I chose were 'Unapologetic' which is a beautiful Pink colour (I can almost see you all rolling your eyes at yet another pink lip colour) and I also chose 'Mischievous' which is a pretty orange shade. I only have one orange lipstick and since it's bang on trend this season why not hey! Although I'm not entirely sure I suit orange lipstick so I'm yet to be brave enough to wear it outside...

 I picked up a Revlon nail polish also because all Revlon makeup was on 3 for 2 and I wasn't really after anything specific so I just got a new nail polish (which I definitely did not need). Obviously it was pink because I wouldn't pick any other colour would I? I could probably do a lengthy blog post on just the pink nail polishes that I own alone!

The last thing I got in Boots was this deep sleep pillow talk set. It includes the deep sleep pillow spray and the stress less rollerball. I've wanted it for a while because I suffer from panic attacks and insomnia so anything that can help me relax and get more sleep is a gift from God. I'm hoping it works! I actually got this with my Boots points because then if it doesn't work, I won't really feel like I've wasted £22. I really like buying something 'big' or 'expensive' with my Boots points because then I feel like I've got something great for free...even though it's technically not free!

 Probably the most exciting thing I bought was two new MAC lipsticks. I definitely have an addiction, I definitely did not need these but I definitely was not able to leave the shop without them! I actually had four so I think I did well narrowing it down to two, I bought 'Pure Zen' and 'Girl About Town' and the other two I was choosing between was 'Honey Love' and 'Japanese Maple'. Girl About Town is a bright fuchsia pink and Pure Zen is just a pale peachy nude. As I'm sure you'll gather by my colour selection, I've been looking for a new nude lipstick and I've been loving my Tanya Burr 'Afternoon Tea' lipgloss so I was going along the lines of that colour but in a lipstick? Honey Love, Japanese Maple and Pure Zen are all similar, they aren't dupes of each other but they're too close in colour to justify buying them all! I so nearly went for 'Honey Love' which is a matte finish but Gary informed me that it looked like I'd put dark foundation on my lips so I gave that one a miss! But hey I'll probably end up going back for that one another day and although Japanese Maple looked like concealer lips for me I'll probably end up with that too! I really want to collect MAC lipsticks, I'm not sure what it is but there's something so satisfying about adding them to my collection

Hope you enjoyed seeing the bits and bobs I picked up recently! What products have you bought recently? Have you tried any of these products?

Previous Posts:-
Benefit Watts Up Review
Skincare and Fashion Haul
New Sleek Blush Palettes Review

Lots of Love,

A x x x