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?

NEW HAIR RANGE - GARNIER ULTIMATE BLENDS THE SLEEK RESTORER

Garnier have introduced six signature blends to their Ultimate Blends range; The Silky Smoother, The Marvellous Transformer, The Shine Revitaliser, The Sleek Restorer, The Colour Illuminator and The Nourishing Repairer. Garnier have spent seven years creating this new range of haircare products with the help of 25,000 British women. The design of the bottles has a very strong 70’s influence, which I wan’t sure of at first, but now I really like the look of them in my bathroom. I always pick up new shampoos and conditioners from the high-street as there is always new offers to be had and they are so affordable for everyday use. 

The Sleek Restorer is formulated for dry, frizzy hair. The range contains pure coconut oil and cocoa butter to give you nourished and super sleek hair. From this range I decided to try the Shampoo, Conditioner and the One Minute Treatment. There is also a Sleek Perfector Oil in the same scent, which claims to leave your hair looking sleek for 72 hours and protects your hair from heat. The shampoo has a gorgeous subtle coconut scent, it lathers up well, my hair is left shinier and it helps reduce frizz and flyaways  It’s a great average, everyday shampoo that does the job and doesn’t weigh my hair down. I found it lovely for my thick hair, as it gave my hair lots of moisture and shine. The formulas contain no parabens and have natural ingredients, which is nice to see from a high street hair product. The conditioner is a little less thick than normal conditioners, but it does do a good job at making my hair feel sleek. I even notice this when my hair is still wet. The pair were on special offer in Boots, 2 for £3 but I wish I had picked up the bigger 400ml sizes.
I like to use the deep conditioner twice a week, it's a little thicker than the normal conditioner, it helps my dry ends and leaves my hair feeling nourished. I also picked up the Dry Shampoo from the Silky Smoother range. The Dry Shampoo is for mid to long hair and it’s a 7 in 1 product. It claims to instantly cleanse hair, absorbs grease at the roots, it has a light weight feel, leaves hair soft to the touch, hair is easy to detangle, it has a blissful fragrance and there is no visible residue. The dry shampoo can be used in other ways than just refreshing the hair, it can also be used to create volume and lift, see video below for styling tips. I love the sweet vanilla milk scent, not like your normal overpowering dry shampoo scent, it's a great product to use inbetween washes. I have read some mixed reviews online, saying it left hair feeling greasier, but I think it does a fair job at refreshing second day hair and it does give my hair some bounce.

One product which has caught my eye from the range is the One Minute Polisher Scrub, which looks like a great, new innovative product (see video below), I think I will have to give that one a try next. Ultimate Blends is definitely a range to try as there is something for every hair type at such an affordable price point. I'd be interested to try the Marvellous Transformer range next as I've heard only good things.

Have you tried the Ultimate Blends range?