Empties / November 2013

Body Items:

Dove Shape Up Firming Body Cream: this body cream has a lovely fresh scent and absorbs easily into the skin... unfortunately didn't make any improvement to my skin whatsoever! With other products, I do see a change with constant use but used this one for nearly 2 months... and nothing. Shame 'cause it's also reasonably priced at about 5 quid.

Repurchase: nope.

Burt's Bees Beewax & Banana Hand Cream: this is the best cream for keeping your hands and cuticles in good conditions or in case of emergency. It's super thick so I only use it before bed but every night without fail. Love the banana scent and last ages.

Repurchase: yep.

No7 Revitalising Hand Saviour: I always use an hand scrub before painting my nails; this is quite pricey but very good (and with the Boots voucher you can save a few pounds). It's a quick and easy way to care for your hands, without wasting too much time or if you don't have time. It leaves the skin super-soft and nourished, thanks to almond and grapeseed oil, and it smells lovely too.

Repurchase: yes.

Face Items:

Botanics Cleansing Face Wipes All Bright: I was actually pleasantly surprised wit these wipes. The material is very soft - cotton-like - not abrasive and don't have any particular scent; they are properly soaked in remover and stayed wet until the last one. They did remove make-up quite well, even mascara, although I can't vouch for the waterproof part.

Repurchase: probably yes.

Clinique All About Eyes: what to add about this product? I haven't come across anybody which doesn't like it, honesty... definitely a winning product from Clinique and best seller.

One of my all time favourite eye cream, if not my favourite! I've been using it for years - on and off, simply because I like to test other products too but come back to this pot regularly. I love the texture, how it performs and perfect for sensitive or allergic-prone skin.

Repucharse: oh yes!

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash: I fell in love with this product. The exfoliant particles are really fine and I feel it really refines the skin, every time I use it. It's lovely and gentle on the skin and scent-free.

Repurchase: yep... stay tuned for a Philosophy haul very soon ;)

***
Congrats to Carly from http://carlywatts.blogspot.co.uk/ for winning the Autumn Giveaway... your goodies are on the way, girl! :) xxx

Haul / Boots

Nivea In-Shower Body Moisturizer: I have actually tried this product before because it has been available on the Italian market for years but only recently came out in Uk.

I loved using it - I normally switched to this product during the summer when the extremely hot weather would make my skin too greasy - since you have to rinse the skin conditioner - it was a tiny bit more comfortable on the skin. 

I got the dry skin version purely because I like the smell better but there's a normal skin version too. 

It looks like a normal lotion and be careful because you can easy use too much product.

I believe there's a similar item from Lush but it comes in a tub so it's messy and probably overpriced and I have never tried it.

 Dove Shape Up Firming Body Cream: I think this is a new product so I thought I'd give it a go.

If you know me, you know I always look for added firming benefits in my body cream and for £3.99, the price was right too!

The cream looks like a whipped consistency, gel-like so it should be light on the skin too but I haven't tried it yet. Not a big fan of the jar compared to a tube - purely for practicality - but not the end of the world.

La Roche-Posay Ceralip: this is an old friend!

God knows I don't need another lipbalm (probably ever!) but this is the only product which does good to my sensitive lips, without being a medicate cream.

I shared my lips odyssey few months ago here and it was actually recommended to me from a dermatologist back home, probably a decade ago. I used it for years and it was great but then vanity prevailed and I started trying different things but I think I wanna go back to this. 

I mainly got it as a back up for stressful periods and I will slowly finish my other balms too

It looks like Lanolips but it's softer and unscented.

Have you tried any of these products yourself?

xxx

Samples/Freebies Time

The girl at the Nars counter in House of Fraser recognises me by now... hehe... in fact, she approached me and asked me if I wanted to try the new Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturiser SPF30 (first time EVER i was offered a sample, without asking!!!) - She did mention she remembered me. :)

They just had 1 light and 1 medium shade to try so she just gave me the best suitable for me and she told me to go back and get properly matched once the product goes on sale.

I quite liked it but I still prefer their sheer foundation. Don't get me wrong, it's still a winner product but the foundation is more dewy and that's the look that I go for.

It's perfect for when you're in a hurry and I, definitely, prefer it to the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer.

Debenhams Facebook' page sent out an invitation to go in store and collect a sample of Bare Minerals Original SPF15 Foundation.

When I got there, the sale assistant didn't know anything about it - well, surprise surprise, it happened before - so I showed the screenshot on my phone and then she was happy to give me a sample.

The colour I got is medium beige N20 - which is a tad dark for me.

I don't think this is giving me enough coverage: my main concern is pigmentation and I still prefer liquid foundation for uniforming my skin. I do like the finish it provides so I'm gonna use it more like a finishing powder on top.

It, also, comes with a tiny kabuki brush: although it's pretty small, it's very dense and it works fairly well.

She gave me the cleanser and moisturiser but I haven't tried these yet.

Finally, I got a copy of Glamour magazine with the Percy & Reed - I went for the Totally TLC Hydrating Mask.
I used it last night and this morning my hair felt bouncy and light.
The only thing I don't really like is the smell - it smells like an aftershave to me.
It's a pre-shampoo treatment to apply on dry hair from roots to ends. Then you need to wrap hair and leave on for a minimum of 10 minutes.
I reckon, now that my hair are short, the tube will last for 4 applications.
Have you picked up one of these products? Which one?

Lancome Visionnaire LR2412 4%
I got this in the post ages ago and I, finally, got around to try it.
I used it like a serum, layered with my night cream, at night but to be honest I didn't see any improvement. It looks more like a cream than a 'runny' consistency of a serum and I felt it left my skin a bit sticky.

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Express Treatment Conditioner

You could order this on their Facebook page. It's a big tube - more a travel size than a sample, I'd say so kudos for that but I didn't think it was anything special. 

It has to be used as a conditioner, after shampoo and then leave it for a minute and some kinda of miracle should happen... well, it didn't.

I think it's an average conditioner... but that's it.

Dermalogica Multivitamin Power Firm

I really like the masque and scrub from this line and I heard good review on youtube about this eye cream; supposedly, you can used it both day and night but I think this is more like a primer and not moisturising enough to become your only eye product. 

It feels like a balm and it takes ages to absorb... plus, it's supposed to fill in fine line and avoid creasing but I haven't noticed any difference, to be honest.

Anybody tried this product??

Estee Lauder Day Wear BB Cream

I ordered this on LatestinBeauty, as many others; it cost a couple of quid by txt - I know, paying for a sample... what was I thinking??!! ;)

The colour is 01 Light and it's perfect for me. It lasted well for 5+ hours without setting and I was never shiny. I'm not blown away and, in comparison with the Garnier one, I choose the Garnier - merely for the price point of view.  I find all these BB creams to be very similar in performance, to be honest.

Also, EL has a floral scent and - at first - it's lovely but It tends to linger on the skin all day.

Which samples have you been trying lately?
xx

I was feeling a bit down today, so THE FIANCE' brought this home: 

isn't he a darling? :)

***

The magazine came with two freebies.

I LOVE (yes, capital letters!) the nail polish. It's the most gorgeous colour - in fact I've decided that could be an option for my wedding (if I decide to go with neutral nails). The colour is My Fair Lady.

If you're interested in Ciate' - click here to see the other shade I've got.

The other sample is Dove hair conditioner, which I'm also looking forward to try as I have read many bloggers raving about it.

LUSH = extra pampering!

I'm loving having a bath, relax and read my magazine... well, who doesn't?!

My favourite of this box is Dorothy Bubble Bar; it smells, divine, the rainbow is the cutest... and turns the water blue. :)

Postman always rings twice

Nothing creep guys, hehe - got a second delivery today, just a bunch of body products bought in stock from abroad.








- ROC i've used them before and I know they works, can really see a difference on my thighs and bum;
- Dove don't think these have been release in the UK, so any comment is welcome. One is firming and the other for bust area - I find it so hard to find chest cream in Great Britain and use it twice a day so I also got one from No 7;
- finally Sally Hansen lately I've really rough cuticles and ridges on my nails so I thought I have a specific product a go.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Update 24/04/11: nail and cuticles cream seems to work; can definitely see an improvement after one application.