Empties / February

This post is a bit late this month, I can't believe it's nearly mid-march o.O

Anyway, here are the products that I finished in February.

Nivea Firming Good-bye Cellulite Gel-Cream: I have used this body cream before; the texture is really smooth and light and absorbs quickly. Ideal to apply in the morning and the scent is also really fresh.

Repurchase: yes

Evolve Skin Cocoon Body Wash: another lovely body product that I highly recommend! Evolve is a quality organic brand with a great ethos and that performs well, too; definitely looking into try more from them.  I prefer to use this body wash in shower because it doesnt' foam up a lot so it's not the best for a bubble bath. Smells like candies... yum

Repurchase: yes

Ysl Forever Youth Liberator Serum: I can't say I was particularly impressed with this sample. Maybe I was expecting too much but It didn't perform better than my favourite serum: Estee Lauder Night Repair Serum. I would probably score 6 out of 10 because I still didn't have any bad reaction and moisturized well but it definitely didn't wow me. Also, it smells kinda of alcohol-y.
Repurchase: no
StriVectin-SD Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles: this has become one of my favourite eye cream. It seems to target wrinkles but I actually saw a huge improvement in my dark circles and chuffed to bits about that. It also absorbs nicely and allows a good application of make up afterwards.
Repurchase: yes
Caudalie Vinexpert Radiance Day Fluid: another great product from Caudalie! The consistency is kinda of a runny cream and a little goes a long way. It gave me perfect hydration for the whole day and didn't break me out (always a plus!). I should just mention that I love the Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet-Creme better but lovely lovely cream. The scent also is so comforting, reminds me of relaxing days by the sea. :)
Repurchase: yes
Renu Radiant Skin Peel: I can't believe how impressed I've been with this tiny sample; I managed to squeeze 2 uses out of it but I already saw great results after the first use too. You just keep it in pose for 10 minutes and then wash it off with warm water. Afterwards my skin looked and felt purified, my pores visibly clean and smaller... I couldn't believe my eyes!
Repurchase: yes

All in all, a great month - I discovered some lovely products and my stash is starting to get smaller, too... hehe... I was running out of space! ;)
xxx

Haul / FeelUnique

Last week, I placed a cheeky order on FeelUnique.com; most of the products had been reduced for the sale so I decided to cross few items off my wishlist ;)

Caudalie Beauty Elixir

 I'm sure you all know this spray and I've been looking forward to try it myself for a while too. I didn't want to commit to a full size bottle so I picked up the 30ml bottle for under a tenner.

I was, mostly, worried about the scent but so far It doesn't bother me - hopefully I will see an improvement on the appearance of my skin too.

bareMinerals READY Eyeshadow 4.0 Limited Edition in The Rare Find

 There is another limited edition quad, The Happy Place, which is also stunning but I decided to go with this one because of the more 'unusual' shades. 

I, totally, fell in love with Eureka from this palette as soon as I saw it; I adore my Becca Line + Illumited Pencil and I use it quite a lot but I don't have any olive/khaki shadows.. so you can say it was overdue. ;)

I also can't wait to try Frisson, which is a matte reddish brick colour - should work well with green eyes.

These bareMinerals shadows are just fantastic: the quality is really good and are some of my favourite eye products! I also have one of their duo - you can check it here!

Yes to Cucumbers On-the-Go Cucumbers Essentials Kit

Finally, I bought this samples kit from Yes to; I haven't tried Yes to before so I was curious to give it a go and I chose the Cucumber line because it's targeted for sensitive skin.

Have you tried this brands before?

xxx

Haul / January Sales

Hobbs Caravaggio Dress £199 £59
ohhhhhh I'm so pleased about this purchase!
I've been eyeing this dress since I saw it in August and finally, at under 60quid, I can afford it. :)
Beautiful print, soft at the touch and flattering waist and sleeves. Smart enough for a friend's wedding later in the year... it will both suit a spring or autumn event.

Oasis Crochet Ruffle Snood £16 £7

I actually thought this was a scarf but turned out to be a snood, not an issue for me.

I spotted it in the sale pile and loved the colour and lace knitting pattern - I couldn't leave it behind for 7quid.

Ted Baker Nail That Performance £12 £6

I already mentioned how I wanted this nail set when I go the lip pens tin.
I have only tried 2 colours so far but I'm impressed: colour is pretty opaque with only 1 coat and the glitter is very fine, leaving a smooth surface. They also dry very fast. I suppose the real test is to see how long they last without chipping.

Ted Baker Rowon Rocking Horse Earrings £29 £14.50
I couldn't resist these sweet Ted Baker's studs at half price. Love the rose gold colour, unfortunately the matching ring was too small.

Ted Baker Jewellery Travel Box £46 £31
uh! Apparently Ted Baker theme going on... ;)
I received an House of Fraser gift voucher at Christmas so I picked up this small jewellery box. I chose this colour combo 'cause it's smart and it'd look beautiful on any dressing table. It comes with a magnetised compartment inside.

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet-Creme £20 £10
I bought this in Debenhams - I think they are discontinuing Caudalie so everything is on offer; the packaging has now changed but I don't mind this bottle.
I have plenty of day creams that I need to finish first, but this is one of my favourite and was on my list of items to repurchase. You can read my review here.

Finally not sales related but I also got some yarns and needles to getting started with my NY resolution: knitting. I discovered John Lewis has got a wide section... I couldn't wait and I've already started - I'm enjoying it very much... any other knitter out there??!
xxx

This week I'm in love with...

Since receiving the Caudalie Divine Oil as my birthday treat few weeks back, I've been rediscovering the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse OR.

I was first introduced to this oil when I received a sample in a GlossyBox - I went quickly through the small bottle because I fell in love with it and I couldn't get enough of it.

The scent is absolutely divine and, because I'm very smell-sensitive, this product doubles as a perfume for me. I picked up the golden shimmer version, last Spring.

The smell is also very similar to the Caudalie' one, although the blend of oils is different; Nuxe's includes borage, st johnswort, sweet almond, camellia, hazelnut and macadamia.

Between the two, I prefer the Nuxe oil because it feels drier and not sticky at all, whilst the Caudalie leaves a greasy residue on my skin.

The glitter does separate from the oil so you just need to give it a good shake before application and - although it looks pretty glittery in concentration - it just leaves a subtle glow, once blended.

The only thing I'm not too happy about is the packaging: I would prefer a spray bottle (mine is not but I understand there's a spray version available on the market) and the writing on the bottle rubbed off straight away (I literally kept finding wee white letters on my hands!).

This product is great in the summer - perfect to enhance a tan - but it will also looks beautiful in the upcoming festive season - as an extra glamorous touch for your Christmas parties.

Have you tried this oil before?

xxx

Space NK Birthday Present

Last month was my birthday and I was pleasantly surprised when I received an email from Space NK with a  voucher to take in store and collect my birthday present.

I thought it was really sweet, since most of the merchants just give you a discount code - implying you need to spend money, of course.

My present was 15ml bottle of Caudalie Divine Oil.

I was thrilled because I read amazing raves about this product and wanted to try it, anyway.

It comes in a spray glass bottle and, even though is a sample size, I reckon it will last me quite a long time.

This oil is a blend of grape, hibiscus, sesame and argan oils and smells gorgeous!

It can be used on the body, face and hair and it's a dry oil but I still find it too oily on dry skin so I've been using it on damp skin, just out of the shower.

Thoroughly enjoying it - Thank you Space NK! :)

***

Congratulations to Emily @ One Way Beauty  that won my Birthday Giveway!

Your prize will be with you soon :)

x

Empties / September

ohhhh, I can't believe I manage to produce another empties post so quickly.
 To be fair, I have a box full of half empty tubes that I'm trying to finish off, so I should have some offering every month for a while.

L'Oreal Sculpt Up: I forgot how much I like this body cream. I use it in the mornings as it has an immediate tightening effect and absorb quickly so I can get dressed straight after. 

I love the smell: it's kinda of talc/powdery and brings me back to years ago when I was living in Cardiff and I used to buy it all the time. :)

Repurchase: most definitely - and Boots runs regular promotions including this range that also help!

Calvin Klein Euphoria Blossom Body Lotion: My mum gave this to me. Strangely enough, I'm not a big fan of the parfume but I love how the lotion smells. It's very light and leave a velvety feeling on the skin.

I would, usually, only wear it sporadically but I have had this bottle for a while now and it was time to come to an end.

Repurchase: maybe - but I have a full list of other stuff I wanna try first!

E45 Cream: nothing particularly exciting about this cream... au contraire.

But this is one of the best creams I have ever used for my feet, knees and shins. It's deeply moisturizing but don't leave any residue. Also, this tub is huge and last for ever and costs nothing!

Of course, I do like to indulge in posh feet creams from time to time but I go back to this one on a daily basis.

Repurchase: sure thing!

Caudalie Vinosource Moisturizing Sorbet-Creme: I got this sample in a beauy swap months ago but I put it aside to use during the summer. 

It's kinda of whipped consistency, ergo the sorbet name and melts into the skin; the scent is unusual but I got used to it and grown to like it. Great product!

Repurchase: Absolutely yes! I adore this moisturizing now and I can't wait to get through the my stash so I can buy it!

Estee Lauder Hydra Complete Multi-Level Moisture Gel Mask: I've had that for absolute ages, actually... so quite glad to see it go.

It's a gel moisturizing mask, fresh on the skin - I need to use it about once every 2 weeks and it's very similar to L'Occitane Angelica Instant Hydration mask, that I reviewed here.
To be fair, I don't feel like I can recommend it and I have only been using it 'cause I didn't want to waste it.

Repurchase: Definitely not - also, I prefer L'occitane one between the two. 

Biore' Ultra Deep Cleansing Pore Strips: yep, another mundane item.

Nose strips... we all know what they are, they are gross but got to do it!

I use one about every 10 days, I find them effective - unfortunately, kind of pricey.

Repurchase: yes

(By the way, so sorry for the grubby old bottles but I can't bring myself to wash them, just for the sake of the picture! sorrry)

FeelUnique - October Box

It's time to review this box! This was my first FeelUnique beauty box and gets thumps up all the way from me.

First, the actual box. I like the colours: black on the outside and the fuchsia inside - I adore Fuchsia btw.

Also the drawer type of aperture which makes it really sturdy and it's a good size as well (a tad smaller than the other brands).

Bliss Fabulous Foaming Face Wash

Really excited to receive this one. I like to try different face washes, because I don't like to use the same one all time and give my skin a change. This product is a two-in-one exfoliant, the granules are very small and not too abrasive so suitable to use every day. I've been using it since I got it and I didn't experience any tightness or spots. It also smells so good, like candy floss. :)

Also, I always wanted to try Bliss, especially the FatGirlSlim but never got around to buy it (anybody recommend it??!!) - I haven't been disappointed by the brand and I would purchase this wash in the future.

TIGI Catwalk Sleek Mystique Straight Collection Blow Out Balm

If you read any of my previous beauty box reviews, you'll know I'm not a fan of styling products; I just don't like to add unnecessary chemicals to my hair. Anyway, for a second I got excited about this one because, as you can see in the pictures, It has got some sparking particles in it. Unfortunately, I didn't see any difference to my hair whatsoever, so this item will go in the swap pile.

Crabtree & Evelyn India Hicks Island Living Spider Lily Ultra Moisturising Hand Therapy

My god - can a hand cream have a longer name??!!

Anyway, I devour hand creams so this is definitely a product that won't go to waste. 

It's a posh hand cream - something that I wouldn't normally buy - but it will be a nice treat for my poor hands, for sure. Nice smell and right consistency (not too thick).

Orly Nail Lacquer in Naughty

Unfortunately, the brush of my bottle is split in half and I haven't received a replacement yet so I will do a separate post when I'll be able to try it.

All I can say for now is that I like the colour and I know the brand but I never tried it before.

Caudalie Vinexpert Radiance Day Fluid SPF10

Caudalie - another brand I've read so much about and I always wanted to try and here is my chance now! :)

This is a day cream which also offers firming, protective and anti-wrinkle actions during the day. 

I definitely noticed a radiance enhancement as soon as I apply it but the smell is too strong I'm afraid, and that;s reason why I'm not planning to purchase it again. It's a shame as I'm liking the performance of the product. Also, It's described as 'fluid' and I would expect a lighter consistency as gel, serum maybe but It just feels like a cream really.

The other criticism would be with the packaging: it's too big for the actually amount of cream in fact it feels like it's empty (and I'm sure you all read the complaints on their Facebook page).

Burberry Body Eau de Parfum

This is a 6th bonus item so I don't mind it's a parfum. I actually ordered a sample on their Facebook page few weeks ago but I never received it so I'm glad I can try it anyway because... I like it!

****

All in all, I love this box and I'll keep my subscription for now; maybe, I'd like a make up item in the next one (I don't see nail polish as make up, personally)...

All products are for sale on FeelUnique.com, of course - and if you order before the 31th of October, you can get 10% off with code BBOCT10

are you going to take advantage of the discount?

Birthday BeautyBox Delivery for me! :)

I've just received my first FeelUnique beauty box.

This is my first one and I'm very pleased... what do you think? 

If you are interested in subscribing, just visit FeelUnique.com - you can also check out the amazing brands they sell - and you're likely to receive! :)