WINTER BEAUTY PRODUCT EMPTIES - DECEMBER 2014

Philosophy The Gingerbread Girl Shower Gel, Bubble Bath & Shampoo, 480ml £14.00 – This took me so long to use up, just because the bottle is so big. I received this as a Christmas present as everyone knows I love gingerbread. This is a multi-use product, but I just like to use it as a bubble bath. It creates lots of bubbles and smells lovely, I currently have the Christmas Cookie version on the go. Would I repurchase? Yes I love Philosophy formulas.

Garnier Ultimate Blends Shampoo & Conditioner, 250ml and 200ml £2.79 each – This duo is a basic shampoo and conditioner which do the job but aren’t anything special. I like the coconut scent and they did make my hair feel sleek and smooth. This range is suited for dry, frizzy hair and it definitely did tame my flyaways. I did a whole blog post on this range, here. Would I repurchase? Maybe not this scent, but I would try other products from the range.

Chloe Eau De Parfum Spray, 30ml £36.95 – This is my all-time favourite scent. I will forever repurchase this and will never be without it. I have tried most of the Chloe fragrances and haven’t found one I didn’t like, I’m currently really enjoying the See by Chloe fragrances. I love how cute the bottle is and looks pretty on any dressing table. Would I repurchase? Yes, forever.

Chloe Perfumed Shower Gel, 200ml £19.95 – I wouldn’t normally buy an expensive fragrance shower gel, but this was on offer at the time. Being my favourite fragrance I really enjoyed using it and saved it for special occasions than using it every day. Would I repurchase? I would buy this again if it was on some kind of offer and it’s great as a gift to buy someone their favourite scent in a shower gel version.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation (In both old and new packaging), 30ml £9.99 – This is one of the first drugstore foundations I tried and fell in love with. I don’t like that they changed the packaging, as the old packaging pushed up any remaining product and you could see exactly how much was left. The colour is a good match for my pale skin and it gives me a light/medium coverage which doesn’t look cakey at all or oxidises throughout the day. I like the way it looks on my skin and I like that the bottle comes with a pump. Would I repurchase? Yes, Bourjois do some of my favourite high-street foundations.

Redken Blonde Idol Shampoo, 300ml £9.90 – I have really been enjoying Redken shampoo and conditioner this year. This shampoo is especially designed for blonde hair and helps to prevent my highlights fading too quickly. I like the scent and it foams up really nicely, I have reviewed this fully on my blog, here. Would I repurchase? Yes, I’m currently using the Diamond Oil range.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation, 30ml £6.99 – I really like how well this foundation matched my skin tone. For a drugstore foundation it is really pale and perfect to use all year round, unlike the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation which is a little too bronzed for me during Autumn/Winter. It so affordable and has an SPF 18 which is great to see from a high street foundation. Would I repurchase? Yes, it’s a good affordable foundation.

Vo5 Refresh Me Quick Dry Shampoo, 200ml £3.59 – I have raved about this dry shampoo again and again, I always go back to this brand. It’s really affordable and I know it works for me. I’m currently using another brand and not enjoying it so much, so will have to return to this one after I’ve used it up. Would I repurchase? Yes, I always make sure I have one at hand.

Soap & Glory Orangeasm Body Butter, 300ml £10.00 – This product has to be one of my favourite discoveries of 2014. I have really been enjoying Orange scented products and you can always rely on a Soap & Glory body butter to keep your skin moisturised and hydrated. I have reviewed this fully on my blog, here. Would I repurchase? Yes I would buy any of the Soap & Glory body butters.

Soap & Glory Heels Genius Foot Cream, 125ml £5.50 – This is another product I use all the time, nothing seems to work as well as this. It’s a thick cream which I like to massage into any dry areas and cover with socks in the evening. My feet are left feeling super soft and it makes me feel so much more relaxed. Would I repurchase? Yes this is holy grail for me, I've restocked up by buying the Annual Soap & Glory Star Gift at Boots!

Have you tried any of these products? What would you replace them with?

END OF YEAR BEAUTY EMPTIES - STARTING A FRESH

The start of a new year means finishing old products and starting a fresh with some new ones, either gifted at Christmas or bought in the January Sales. These are the products I have been enjoying using up most recently...

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub, (Old Packaging) 450ml £8.00 - This is a product that I had bought ages ago and had forgotten about, until the blogger hype which bought it back to my attention. I do love the texture of this scrub but do however prefer the scent of The Breakfast Scrub. But it is definitely worth the price tag as it lasts for ages. Would I repurchase? Yes, I got one in the 'Best of All' set. So it will be good to see if the formula has changed along with the packaging.

Dermalogica Clean Start All Over Clear Toner, Fullsize 120ml £9.84 - I received this sample product in one of my Glossyboxes. I had never tried Dermalogica products before, but I really enjoyed this toner especially because of the spray bottle it comes in. This toner helps to control shine and keep breakouts away and I really saw a difference with using this. Would I repurchase? Yes, I am using another sample I received in another Glossybox. (Yes I wasn't too pleased to receive the same product twice, but I received some good customer service.) 

Origins Super Spot Remover Blemish Gel, 10ml £13.00 - This product is a little life saver in a bottle. I love Origins skincare, the brand has to be one of my favourites at the moment. You might think the price is a bit steep for the size of the bottle, but it lasts months as you only use a tiny amount. You just tab the gel on any breakout areas and you can really feel it working, I wish I had known about this years ago. Would you repurchase? Yes, I already have. I wouldn't be without it. 

V05 Plump me up and Refresh me quick Dry Shampoo, Both 2ooml £3.59 - V05 dry shampoo is my favourite go-to hair product recently. For me it beats batiste and other high street brands - my favourite being 'Refresh me quick' as I prefer the scent. It does what it says on the tin and is perfect for lazy day! Would I repurchase? Yes I need to restock. 

Soap & Glory Rich and Foamous Body Wash, 500ml £6.50 - This product smells heavenly! All Soap & Glory products smell gorgeous, but this shower gel wins for me so far. I know some people much prefer Soap & Glory's original scent, so it can be a love or hate product. I have reviewed this product in full here. Would I repurchase? Yes, another bottle is currently in my shower.

Philosophy Marshmallows for Toasting Body Lotion, 60ml - I received this product as part of a set last Christmas, but can't find it online anymore. The scent of this product is very sickly sweet, but it was really moisturising and great on any dry patches. The size was also good for travel. Would I repurchase? Maybe would like to try a different scent in the range.

Lush It's Raining Men Shower Gel, 100g £4.25 - I like Lush shower gels, but I think they are quite expensive for how much product you get inside. This scent smells lovely, just like the Honey I washed the kids soap. You can also use this product in your hair like a shampoo, but I just prefer to use it on my body. Would I repurchase? Yes, it would be more cost effective to buy a bigger bottle next time though.

Lush Sweetie Pie Wobbly Jelly £3.10 - This was a rather different product to have in my shower. I loved the scent of cherry and coconut and it was just like jelly so it was quite tricky not to drop it in the bath/shower. I crushed a bit of the product into a shower puff and it soon lathered up when adding water. You can again use this product in your hair and also freeze or chill it if you like. Would I repurchase? Yes, I would like to try other scents in the range.

Bumble and Bumble Creme De Coco Shampoo and Conditioner, 50ml Prices from £5.95  - These products were my first experience of Bumble and Bumble. I was very pleased with the results, they left my hair super soft. The scent won me over as coconut is probably my favourite for hair products. This combination is great for dry or dull hair, they improve flexibility and minimise frizz. Would I repurchase? Yes, I have my eye on the Shine range next.
Umberto Giannini Rock 'N' Roll Hairspray, 200ml £5.61 - To be honest I'm not very fussy when it comes to hairspray and don't use it on an everyday basis. This product is good, my favourite part being the scent as it is not harsh as some other hairsprays. I wouldn't say it's the best hairspray I've used but it does hold volume and is good for up-do's. It doesn't leave hair dry and crispy and in my view it's really affordable! Would I repurchase? Maybe, but I want to try something else first.

A lot of these products I have loved and repurchased. Have you tried out any of these products?