January - March Empties.

 

So I haven't done an empties post in a LONG time and quite frankly, they have been building up in  my little through away bag. So i've decided to just do them all at once and get this over and done with! I will give a brief explanation of the product, how I thought it worked/ was and if i'd repurchase or not. So here goes!

 

LIVE Colour XXL in Cyber Purple - So I was going through a 'I want purple hair ...' phase and at the time I currently had Red/Brown hair. I felt like the product had quite a good lift on it, my hair definetly went lighter with a hint of purple too it and was a lovely cool toned colour. I just wish it went a little more purple but beggars can't be choosers. I'd possibly repurchase this product if I wanted to go purple again but I would maybe use something else before it, just like colour b4.

LIVE Luminance in Ultra Violet - After using the above dye and wanting it to be a little more purple toned, I decided to pick up this dye as it claimed to work on even dark hair. The colour on the box really sold me, I was so hoping for lucious purple hair and to look like Miss Perry herself. Of course it was too good to be true and my hair practically went black. It was very shiney but the purple tint I had was pretty much from the dye before. I got this reduced as they were clearing the stock from my local Tesco and I just wish I never bought 3 boxes (I still have 2 left and no longer want it ..) I would NOT repurchase this product.

Colour B4 Extra Strength - So after all the above happened, I got bored and wanted rid of my strange purple/ black colour. Whenever my hair is annoying me or I'm bored of the colour I always reach for this miracle bottle. It really does rid you of colour you didn't want and gives you a cleansed head of hair. I love this but I am realistic and when it's washed off and I am left with a ginger/ warm copper colour, I am pleased. This is because I read the leaflet inside and realise it won't get me back to my original blonde. If you are realistic and read the contents, you will be chuffed with the results. I would always repurchase this when it's needed.

 Lush Fresh Facemask Cupcake - Cupcake is a gorgeous chocolate mint mask that refreshes oily skin that is also spot prone. I loved this mask as soon as I was given a sample to try which is why I went back to buy a pot straight away. I am actually trying to convert to longer lasting masks as these only last 3-4 weeks and have to be kept in the fridge which can be annoying. I would repurchase as a treat when needed or if i'm having a breakout.

Lush Fresh Facemask BB Seaweed - This mask claims to be calming on the skin, after telling the assistant how much I loved Catastrophe Cosmetic I was suggested this one and I have to say, they were wrong. I hated this mask so much, I can't really remember why but it just didn't work for me. I'm pretty sure it irritated my skin, I actually washed half of this down the sink just so I had the container to return. I would not repurchase this.

Lush Fresh Facemask Catastrophe Cosmetic - This used to be my go to mask, even though as said above that it is annoying they have to be kept in the fridge and used within 3-4 weeks I still loved this and was always buying a new pot when it was finished. I then didn't use it for a few months and my skin had a weird breakout eventually so I got another pot. I regret this SO much. I don't know if they have changed it or anything but it just irritated my skin so much that it actually broke me out. I will not repurchase in case this happens again.

Ultrabland Fresh Face Cleanser - This is an amaaaazing cleanser that I always see myself reaching for. It is one of the longer lasting products from Lush, it has about a 2 year expiry date on it and can just be kept lying around (not in the fridge!) It is a cream to oil cleanser when rubbed into the skin and rids you of all makeup, even MAC. I would recommend this to everyone who wears longer wearing makeup.

No7 Hot Cloth Cleanser - This is one of the smaller sized bottles from the No7 Beautiful Skin range. It says it is best to rub into skin to rid of makeup and to place the muslin cloth (included with the bottle) with hot water over the face and let this melt away the cleanser. I use it slightly differently and pop the cleanser on, rub into my face and then rub off with the muslin cloth. I find this is really effective and leaves a nice feel to the skin. It rids of most makeup (not as strong as ultrabland) and leaves skin feeling soft and clear.

Neal Yard Remedies Rose Toner - This was a gift to me from my boyfriend at Christmas and normally I have never used anything so expensive and extravagant. But boy I am glad he got me it. I LOVED this product, I actually used this as a cleanser with cotton pads to rid me of makeup and leave my skin feeling refreshed and soft. It really bumps off makeup so I can imagine used as an actual toner would rid you of dirt and leave your skin all lovely and clean. I would recommend this to everyone and as soon as I have the cash, I will repurchase this.

The Body Shop Seaweed Pore Perfector - I bought this whilst The Body Shop on line had their buy 2 get 2 free products as I would normally not spend £10 + on a priming product, but wow. This stuff really did work. Once you have cleansed/ toned and then apply this, your skin is silky smooth and pore free ready for your foundation. I loved this product but I used it up so quickly. I would repurchase but I'd prefer more product for my money.

St Ives Apricot Face Scrub - I don't think there is much I need to say about this product, It is one holy grail product I could never be without. Well right now I am, and it is making me sad. For around £4.00 for a tube it is a bargain and this lasted me months so it worked out cheaper in the longer run. I would deffo repurchase.


La Roche-Posay Solution - Cleansing water is a huge product at the moment and I received this as a free sample for the PR company of La Roche-Posay. I loved this product and it really does rid you of makeup and stubborn mascara. Right now I am waiting for my Bioderma water and I'm finishing off my Vichy 3-in-1 water too but I prefer this over the Vichy one straight away. I will see how the Bioderma fairs but if it is no good, I will repurchase this.

Dove Hair Therapy deep conditioner for Colour Hair - This is a small sample size (Bzzagent product) and I sent about 10 of these which I'm just finishing off. This is a lovely thick, pinky conditioner for coloured hair that nourishes and helps care for dry hair. After using colour b4, I put a whole sample bottle of this on my hair and it gave me lovely soft ends. I would repurchase this.

The Body Shop Rainforest Nurition Shampoo and Conditioner - These were given to me as a free gift when I spent over so much at the store. I wouldn't really say they give my hair 'nutrition' or help to make it softer but it's a nice silky shampoo to use. I like the shampoo but the conditioner really didn't so much for me. I would buy the shampoo just for the lovely lather and feel to my hair but not the conditioner.

Umberto Gianni Morning After Dry Shampoo - I don't really know much about this product, It came with a makeup bag that I purchased and I tried to use it. It only gave me about 2-3 uses and it didn't really do much, if anything it actually made my hair more greasy. I would defiantly not repurchase.


So sorry for the long post but that was my empties for the past 3 months, I'm actually shocked at how little I managed to use up, I shall have to keep going and see what other bits I can use. I'm not sure if this would have helped anyone but hopefully it was helpful in some way or a little informative to someone.

Thanks for reading, if you want a more indepth review on any of the products mentioned just leave me a comment and I shall get on it for you!

Lucky xo

August Empties.

So I haven't posted in a long time but I promised you all a post of my empties from the last few months. I really haven't used a lot of products, wish I used up more so that will be my task this coming month. I have a few good and bad product this month and I've been as honest as I possibly can. I've given each product a mark out of 10 and then a 'would I repurchase' score.

Good - "Lush Ultrabland fresh face cleanser"

This is a product I always find myself going back to this product, I can't deny its very good at bumping off make-up and product build up. It seems to brighten the skin and fresh it also, using a hot cloth to remove this oily product really helps to rid your face of all traces of dirt and make-up.

Score out of 10? - I'd give this product a 9/10, it'd not necessarily the best make-up remover i've ever used or probably will ever use but it's pretty good at removing my make-up.

Would I Repurchase? - I have recently repurchased this product for the 3rd time

Good - "Lush Catastrophe Cosmetic fresh face-mask"

This is another product from Lush that I constantly find myself buying when my skin is having a breakout or a bad reaction from stress. However this time (i'm having a terrible time with my skin lately) it hasn't seemed quite up to the job. It usually calms my red skin and reduces the size of spots, it's done that to the teeny ones I was hardly even worried about but doesn't seemed to have touched the large ones that are causing me grief. 

Score out of 10? - I'd give this product 7/10.

Would I Repurchase? - I do still love this product though and will possibly be repurchasing in the near future when I feel my skin needs a good boost.

                                             Good - "Bayliss and Harding Bath Milk"

I utterly love this product, I got it on offer in Tesco for £2.00 for the whole bottle and it lasted for quite a few baths. It made the water very silky and soft and produced a lot of bubbles at the same time. It has a beautiful smell and is just a lovely product to use. 

Score out of 10? - I would give this product 9/10

Would I Repurchase? - I'd recommend this to anyone who loves to treat themselves to a nice bath but doesn't have the money to keep buying various bath bombs and such. I would defiantly repurchase this product.

Good - "17 Falsifye effect mascara in Brown"

This mascara was actually one of my favourites so far, its quite funny how cheaper products can really work well. I wasn't expecting a lot from this product to begin with but it was a lovely mascara, it was quite a matte mascara to use and the brush was lovely to work with. I don't really know what else to say about this product, I purchased it for £4.00 which I thought was a bargain for such a great product. 

Score out of 10? - I would give this product 10/10.

Would I Repurchase? - I would defiantly repurchase this mascara, I actually bought a new one this month and I wish I'd just bought this again now. 

Bad - "The Body Shop's facial highlighter"

I've been searching for a nice highlighter for my cheekbones for so long now, and this really isn't it. I actually really don't get along with this product, I think it's a little too thick and too shimmery. Its a pink toned highlighter which I don't think helps to highlight my cheekbones at all. The only good thing I find it helpful for is mixing it with my slightly too dark foundations to lighten it up and match my skin tone more.

Score out of 10? - 3/10, it doesn't really work as a highlighter but it does make an alright primer mixed with foundation.

Would I Repurchase? - No, it was quite an expensive product and I'm sure if used as a primer, you can find a much nicer and cheaper alternative.

 

Bad - "Garnier BB Cream, Oil Free version"

Now when I first started using the product, I thought i'd found the answer to everyday use foundation but without the heaviness and greasiness of actual foundation. However, my mind has changed a little over the last few uses of this product. I've found after a few uses the product turns orange on my skin when i've worn it for about 15 minutes or so. I'm not a huge fan of the none natural look so this has really put my off. I've tried shaking the tube to mix the product before putting it onto my skin but the orange look is still happening. 

Score out of 10? -  I would give this product about a 5/10, I love the concept but I hate that it turns orange on my skin. I would not repurchase this again

Would I Repurchase? - I did actually repurchase the product and thought it may just be where the one I had was getting a little old, but alas it has happened again after a few uses.

Bad - "Nice and Easy Light Auburn hair dye"

I bought this product with the intention of having pretty auburn/ ginger hair that the lady on the box has, I was so wrong. I previously used Colour B4 to rid my hair of my brown dye and I was a very light shade of brown, even almost blonde you could say with a very bright undertone of auburn/ orange. I was hoping this would help me to achieve the locks I wanted so much and well, after putting this dye on for literally 15 minutes my hair had returned to its brown shade, with a teeny tinge of auburn to it. However I love the conditioner that they supply with the dye.

Score out of 10? - 2/10, it really didnt work for me but I'm unsure if it was to do with using the Colour B4.

 Would I Repurchase? No, I wouldn't go anywhere near this dye again, If i'm honest I dont really like Nice and Easy dyes, I just like the conditioners they give you so I will repurchase the smaller versions of those when I do colour my hair as they really help with the condition of your hair. 


So what did you all think? Have you used any of these products and had a different opinion? Is there any similar products of these that you'd recommend? I love hearing from my readers and I appreciate you all taking the time to read my thoughts and opinions. That's all my for now!

Lush Empties.

So for the past few weeks I've been using up most of my Lush products (mainly to recycle my black pots and get my free face mask) and most of my samples I was given with my purchases. I didn't actually get a chance to get photos of my pots of large products before I took them back so I'll go through my samples and then list my large products. You can review and purchase all these products on the Lush website.

1. Handy Gurugu Hand and Foot Lotion - I had a sample size of this given to me during one of my transactions and I LOVE it. Its actually listed on the pot as a hand lotion but can also be used for feet. It is a rich butter cream texture that has a gorgeous smell of Almonds and Lemon, which is really fresh.After wearing a brand new pair of shoes and having the awful 'wear in' marks on my feet (not to mention HUGE pain) I used a little bit of this on my bunions and the backs of my feet where you get horrible blisters from new shoes, rubbed it in and the next day my feet were all fresh and not in pain anymore. Not to mention soft as well. This product is a bit on the more expensive size at £7.50 for 100G but I think its actually quite worth the money, Its something I will invest in in the future.

2. Celestial Face Moisturizer - Another sample size but with this I was actually really disappointed. This is the first product from Lush that I would not touch at all. Its not a very thick cream but as soon as it goes onto the skin it feels heavy and doesn't melt into the skin at all. Its really not a very nice product to deal with, for me. It states that its a sensitive skin moisturizer that helps to stop inflammation in the skin. I don't really have much else to say about this product except it wasn't right for my skin. I did buy the full size product without realizing it wasn't that good for my skin and was a little disappointed, however they did let me return it as I wasn't happy and purchased Vanishing Cream which I love, so it all worked out good. Its £11.75 for 45G which again is a little on the expensive side but the actual one I use is more expensive but I love that one so its a good investment, a little of the product goes a long way too.

3. Ultrabland Cleanser - Not much to say about this as I have raved about this product before, this is my go to cleanser to rid my face of all my makeup and dirt. Its just a holy grail product and I will not to purchasing this, I am already on my 2nd pot of full sized product and I love it. Couldn't live without it. They have actually put the price up on this so it is now £6.25 for 45G or £10.75 for 100G, next time I will be buying the larger sized product as it seems like a lot better value for money doubling the size of the product for £4.50 more. I would recommend this product to everybody.

4. American Cream Conditioner - This product smelt AMAZING when I put it on my hair and really did make my hair feel lovely and soft but sadly, the small pot literally gave me one use so I'm really not sure if its something I would invest in and I know i'd have to use a lot of the product thus it not lasting me as long as it should. It states its a strawberry and vanilla scent but I'd say it was a lot more on the vanilla side of the spectrum. It really is a lovely product to use, its very watery in consistency (even though it states its a thick conditioner, maybe I had a watery batch) but it allows you to really massage it into your hair, which helps when you have dried ends due to bleaching like I do. I loved it for the once use I got from it and I'd maybe think about buying it again. At £4.45 for 100G I don't think it would last me very long but then I'm not sure if £14.25 for 500G is an acceptable amount of money to pay for this product. I'm 50-50 on repurchasing.

5. Skin's Shangri La Moisturizer - This product, well i can't really comment on it. I was given a sample and knowing how expensive it is (£27.50 for 45G) I thought i'd save it for a special occasion to see if it bad my skin nice and soft so that my makeup would glide on, big mistake it would seem. I was sorting my room yesterday and found it, opened it up and was extremely sad, It has hardened and formed a film over the moisturizer which has utterly destroyed the product. Now I had the packaging all screwed up tight like you would and I really don't know whats happened to it. I would not purchase this as 1. I don't even know how it feels/works and 2. If it did this would a full sized pot I would be very unhappy.

Now these are only my opinions so don't fully base your purchases and choices on this, feel free to go into the shop and ask for samples of products you wish to try, they will happily hand them over to you. Thankyou for reading and if you have any opposite opinions on the products I didn't like that you think I should give them another shot then please just comment and I'll get back to you.

Lush Facial Skincare.

(All images used from the Lush website - www.lush.co.uk)

Now I am a girl who will hunt and hunt for a good face product, thinking I had find a few sound products such as my 3in1 Neutrogena Facial Toner and Simple's Eyemakeup Remover. But nothing could have prepared me for the WOW factor I have had from giving Lush's skincare a go. I am converted. I have not touched one of my other facial products in over a week. This has come from using Lush's Ultrabland Cleanser and Lush's Catastrophe Cosmetic Fresh Facemask. Seriously I have used both these products together now for about 5 days roughly and I have such good skin, its amazing. I haven't had hardly any spots, no blemishes and my makeup glides on like a dream!  I used to love walking into Lush when I was little and being overpowered by the amazing smells and sites in there. Now its caught back up with me in my older years and I am so glad I have reinvested in this company. It has inspired me to be more natural with my products and just to be more careful with my skin and my hair. 

The shampoo and conditioner bars that I also bought have been a dream, more the shampoo than the conditioner. My hair feels squeaky clean without it being overly abused and has never been this soft and manageable ever, considering the underside has been bleached and dyed twice this is amazing. I sometimes don't even need to straighten my hair, that's hardly ever happened. 

I will be going back to purchase loads more of their facial products and will even test out a few skin and bath products too. I know I want to go back and try a moisturizer, I may ask for a sample as last time I did (I got the UltraBland cleanser) I had to go back and buy the bigger pot. I'm thinking maybe the SkinDrink moisturizer or the Celestial moisturizer. I also would be quite interested in trying their Color Supplements in the Jackie Oates which can be used as a tinted moisturizer if you mix it with your daily moisturizer or as a pure foundation if you use the color supplement straight. I also would like to either repurchase the Catastrophe Cosmetic facemask or try a new one and go with the Cupcake one which smells and looks like chocolate, YUMMY. 

Anyways this was just a quick post to say how amazing the products that I have already purchased are and how I will be buying a lot more in the future so keep an eye out for more of me big up Lush and I will do some reviews soon. If you'd like to know anymore on the products I have used (GoDiva Shampoo bar, Jungle Conditioner bar, UltraBland Cleanser, Catastrophe Cosmetic facemask) then please feel free to leave a question and I'll get straight back to you!