Haul / Philosophy

A couple of months ago, I received a discount code in the post from Philosophy; it was for £15 off on £60 spending, which I thought was very generous and silly not taking advantage of.

So this is what I ordered:

Philosophy The Microdelivery Exfoliating Facial Wash

I had recently finished  a sample of this wash (link) and I loved it so much that I decided to buy the full size bottle. The consistency is perfection: the micro scrubbing particles are very effective but, because of the gel consistency, is also gentle at the same time. 

Philosophy The Great Mystery One-Minute Daily Facial

I also picked up this mask to try… sounded pretty intriguing.

When you massage it in, it foams up on the skin and you can feel it fizz actually; it's kinda of weird and worrying at first but, when you see that no damage is done to your face, it becomes a pleasant experience.

Plus, acts in 1 minute and it's delicate enough that could be used every day; again, a great purifying product: leaves my skin super-clean! 

Philosophy Senorita Margarita Shampoo Shower Gel & Bubble Bath

Loved the idea of a margarita scented shower gel (plus, I had to reach the minimum spending for the offer) but again not impressed with this Philosophy body washes. It's my own fault: I have already been disappointed before in the formula (link) and the smell just doesn't last out of the bottle. :(

Have you tried Philosophy yet? Which are your must-have products?

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

Empties / December

Philosophy shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath trio: I really struggled to finish these off. The scent pay off is not great - you can read my opionion here as it hasn't changed.

Repurchase: nope.

Lush Helping Hands: I really like this hand cream; I have used it in the past and always go back, periodically. It's very moisturising but a bit greasy so I only use it around the house. Also love the kinda of yeasty smell. :)

Repurchase: yep.

Sanctuary 5 Minutes Thermal Detox Mask: this is one of the deep cleansing mask that I use once a week, after my steamer session. I like that it's fast acting and the charcoal purifies the skin very well but the consistency is kinda of gluey and you end up using more than needed. Also, it needs to go on wet skin which doesn't help on spreading the product on the face.

Repurchase: probably not.

Dr Nick Lowe Dark Cicles Correcting Cream: this is a decent eye cream but I wasn't blown away - plus it din't make any difference to my dark circles. I need to mention that I, instead, really liked another Dr Nick Lowe eye cream... you can check the review here.

Repurchase: no.

Sprout Toner: I loved spritzing it over my face, every morning! It's very refreshing - perfect to start the day - and also balancing - ideal to keep the odd spots at bay. The pump works great and I will definitely re-fill the min bottle for travelling. The only thing I would mention is the smell of vinegar (one of the main ingredients is organic raw apple cider vinegar, actually) which doesn't linger on the skin so it doesn't bother me but you're warned! :)

Repurchase: yes. 

Introducing / Philosophy

Few months ago, I placed an order on the Philosophy website; I had never tried anything from Philosophy before and I decided to order directly from them (instead of using points on Boots) as they were offering a nice sizable sample bag.

Purity Made Simple

Main reason to place the order as everybody's been raving about this cleanser - apparently, the best match for the Clarisonic.

To be perfectly honest, I was disappointed... I suppose I was expecting more.

3-in-1 cleanser for face and eye - although I have never used it on my eyes - removes make up, tones and hydrates the skin.

It's a perfectly fine remover but I wasn't blown away - consistency is good to use with the Clarisonic, I agree on that but I was, also, left disappointed by the fragrance-free formula (well, I would say borderline chemical for my fine sense of smell - my husband calls me 'bloodhound' for a reason ;)).

Glad I only bought the small bottle!

Hope in a Jar

ummm, I don't like this... it feels really weird! :(

The consistency is really odd: it's kinda of waxy (look at the picture below... the product takes that shape and then doesn't move!) but it's also buttery, at the same time.

It's a bit too heavy and I can feel it on my skin... I'll give it another go in the winter and hopefully it will perform better. Maybe, I should have gone with the oil-free version, but to be fair, the jar is indicated for 'all skin types' and I don't need to buy products for oily skin, normally.

Plus, I really dislike the smell - lavander... bleugh!

Warm and Toasty 3pc Gift Set

I wanted to take advantage of the free delivery so I, also, picked up this bath set from the clearance.

Love the circular and glittery box and the visual is beautiful; these are 3 bottles of shampoo, shower gel & bubble bath, all in one: Hazelnut Espresso, Double Rich Hot Cocoa, Hot Buttered Rum.

Again, this is becoming a theme but I was left disappointed: these smell delicious and with a strong resemblance to the actual hot drinks in the bottle... but then the scent disappears when poured in the bath! :(

Also, they don't foam up much which is a shame if you're looking forward to a warming winter bubble bath but it's definitely an advantage when used as shampoo.

Finally, in the goodie bag I got:

Purity Made Simple: as I say, I don't love it but I will use it; good size for travelling.

Eye Hope: lovely eye cream! It claims to reduce puffiness, dark circles and fine lines... unfortunately, the sample is too small to really see any difference but I enjoyed using it and I'll consider buy it in the future. Very hydrating and fast absorbing.

Miracle Worker: I liked this moisturizer - again, I can't vouch for the anti-aging benefits because the sample was too small but the formula agreed with my skin better.

The Microdelivery Peel: OMG - This stuff is amazing!

 It's a 2-step, at home peel that delivers its promise BIG TIME: my skin felt so smooth and brighter after use... I manage to squeeze 2 applications - Yay ;)

I will, definitely, purchase this kit!

The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash: Another beautiful product that I will buy, for sure!

Extremely fine face scrub that buff gently into the skin... yet effectively.

This will become my exfoliant of chose for now on.

So... apparently, I ordered the wrong items! 

I seriously loved the samples... and I'm glad I had the chance to try more products, otherwise I would have - completely - written off Philosophy from my shopping list... 

Have you used Philosophy before? What's your experience? 

xxx

Christmas Presents

Mega Haul of my Christmas goodies!

Ok, explanation of the cross in the first picture: I took this picture on Xmas morning but I don't own the Clarisonic Classic anymore. Basically, on Boxing Day I saw Clarisonic Mia on Buyapowa.com so I convinced my fiancé to return the other one. Oh boy, it took a lotttt of convincing - I tell ya! He really really wanted me to keep the 'better' version but I honestly couldn't justify the extra 60quid: I'm just as happy with the Mia. :) Actually I'm in love with my Mia - I can't wait to use it every evening.

I'm still trying it out, at the moment, to see what's best for my skin: I've been using it every night for the last 10 days (alternating the gentle hydro cleanser - which came in the box - and refreshing gel cleanser - from feel unique' box).

Currently, I'm researching which are the best cleanser for this tool; I'm set to buy Philosophy 'Purity' or one from Elemis. Please, comment below if you have any recommendation.

Do you have a Clarisonic? Would you like to try it?

Bobbi Brown - Bobbi's Party eau de parfum

This is so nice! Describing a perfume is always a challenge but what comes to mind are words like clean, fresh... Yes, i would say it smells kinda like soap - which I like but I don't know if the word sounds too appealing to other... if you pass by a BB counter give it a sniff and tell me what you think, ok? :)

We got it in House of Fraser at the beginning of December; they were running a promotion with O2 where if you spent £40 you're getting a £15 voucher. I got a free lippie with the voucher - also from the Bobbi Brown Party Collection (but it's sooo pretty that it deserves a separate post!).

loving this snood - it's super warm

Bag is from Zara and it's the perfect size: I can fit loads in it plus, it' has got cards slots in the front pocket so it's perfect also for a night out if I don't want to carry my wallet with me.

I like the college/retro feel of it and I've been looking for a green bag for some time actually! Perfect choice!

Fossil necklace is gorgeous! I love marcasite because I like vintage/vintage inspired jewellery. 

This has got silver and black crystals and stones making it super-sparkling.

There's a Fossil shop in the St Enoch Centre in Glasgow now - It's good they expanded from watches and they also sell jewellery and bags. I like their stuff, quite pricey tho.

Karen Millen Knit Cardigan

Reiss Luna Boxy Across Body Bag

Thomas Sabo charm bracelet

posh dressing gown - I work from home... should I say more?! This will get good use!! :)