HAIRCARE BEAUTY EMPTIES - SHAMPOO & STYLING PRODUCTS

I go through haircare products faster than any other product, so I thought I would dedicate this empties post to all things hair related. Toni & Guy Cleanse Shampoo and Nourish Conditioner, 250ml £6.49 each – I always stock up on hair products at Christmas once the gift sets go in the sale. These are great sized bottles and suitable for normal hair, but the formula is quite average so suitable for everyday. It does the job of cleaning my hair but I don't miss it when I don't use it.  The shampoo is suitable for dry hair which needs nourishment and improves manageability so it's easy to style. The conditioner repairs the hair with it's advanced formula that penetrates the hair fibre for stronger, healthier hair and helps prevent against split ends. Loreal Professionnel Pro-Keratin Refill Shampoo and Masque, fullsize with conditioner £28.08 - I received these great sized samples in a Lookfantastic beauty box. I had not tried this range from Loreal before but I really enjoyed using them, especially the masque. This formila is designed to help improve the look and feel of damaged hair. It's enriched with Pro-Keratin and Incell and helps to leave hair feeling replenished and protected against external aggressors. I loved the scent of this range and would repurchase. Kerastase Reflection Bain Chroma Captive Colour Radiance Protecting Shampoo, 250ml £12.20 - This shampoo is designed especially for highlighted hair, I featured this shampoo in a past 'currently in my bathroom' post. My hairdresser recommended this product to me as I have gone darker at the roots but I still want my ends to look fresh and bright. The formula helps colour to last longer and helps bring back shine every time I use it. It smells great and my hair feels moisturised as well as cleansed, I would definitely repurchase this product. Kerastase Nutritive IrisomeBain Satin 1 and Lait Vital Nourishing Care Condtioner, full size duo £26.55 - Another shampoo and conditioner I received in a beauty box. This is my mum's go to haircare line now, she won't use anything else. This haircare line is suitable for normal or slightly dry hair and conditions and replenishes hair without weighing it down. It really makes your hair soft, the samples were a great size for travel and I would buy this full size duo again. Loreal Professionnel Serie Expert Silver Shampoo, 250ml £6.55 - This product is perfect for blonde hair to keep it looking as fresh as the day you went to the salon. The formulation is a purple shampoo and works to brighten hair and tone the colour. I like to use this at least once a week, in rotation with other shampoo's. I always have some kind of purple shampoo on the go, I currently have another bottle open in my bathroom. It gets rid of any brassy tones and leaves my hair nice and shiny.Umberto Giannini Glam Hair Backcomb in a Bottle, 200ml £6.00 - I received this bottle in a Christmas set but I have used this styling product before. I used this product as a texturising spray, but it's suppose to be more of a styling up do spray to create instant texture and volume so it looks like you've back combed your hair. It makes your hair look thicker and lasts all night. It's so easy to use and creates so much volume that you don't need to use anything else. I also really like the packaging of this range. Loreal Elnett Satin Hairspray, 200ml £3.99 - I have been using this product for so long, I rarely use hairspray just mainly because I wear my hair down straight most of the time. Loreal Elnett is definitely the holy grail hairspray, another product my mum loves. This is an old limited edition Cheryl pink can, but it's still the same formula. It holds your style depending if your curling your hair or wearing it up. I like the scent, it's easy to brush out and it doesn't make my hair feel greasy. Redken Pillow Proof Blowdry Express Primer, full-size 170ml £12.60 - I got this sample in a Redken set at Christmas and I was very excited to try this. I love the scent of this and it works as heat protection that you spray in before you blow dry your hair. This product is designed to reduce blow drying time and I definitely have seen a difference when I use this. It repairs the hair and is a must have product for healthy, salon perfect hair. Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence Conditioning Spray, 250ml £22.00 - I really like Philip Kingsley hair products at the moment. I think this sample size came in a Latest in Beauty box, but I would repurchase this myself. You can use this product as a leave in conditioner before you blow dry your hair. It protects hair from daily environmental wear, such as UV rays, as well as heat protecting and instantly boosts the overall condition. It's suitable for all hair types and ensures hair is soft, strong and radiant. Loreal Elnett Satin Heat Styling Volume Spray, 170ml £5.99 - Another product that took me a while to get through, I know there was quite a bit of hype surrounding it's release and we all wanted to know if it lived up to the standards of it's well known hairspray. The formula leaves your hair shiny and soft, as well as creating volume and calming down flyaways. This formula claims to lock in a voluminous style for up to 3 days, but I wash my hair too often to see if this actually works. 

What's your favourite haircare products recently?

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LUSH SKYDANCER FAR FROM THE MADDING GUNS BATH BOMB

I'm really enjoying documenting my Lush products at the moment, it's a good way of remembering which ones have the biggest impact in the bath and recalling the ones I want to repurchase. My mum and sister picked me up the new Skydancer Far From The Madding Guns Bath Bomb not knowing it was a new product which I hadn't tried before, they just liked the look of it. Skydancer is actually the most recent charity bath bomb, where all the profits from each and every one of these will help fund equipment to satellite tag many endangered hen harrier chicks born in the coming years. Although I don't know a lot about fighting wildlife crime, hen harriers are England’s most endangered bird.

This bath bomb has a soft floral and liquorice scent and contains bergamot, Sicilian lemon and cinnamon leaf oils. The scent is not too strong at all, it’s really fresh and uplifting. I really like the bird shape and the contrast between the bright yellow and blue colours. Skydancer is a little bigger than your average bath bomb and is designed to glide across the top of the water so it looks like the bird is flying. I love the way the yellow underneath part quickly bubbles away leaving the bird to float on top of the water. It’s such a unique design and lasts for quite a while just fizzing away so it’s nice to get into the bath and enjoy it swimming around you. I’m not a big fan of the yellowy green colour you're left with in the bath, but the water is really moisturising on the skin. It also leaves a white foam on the top of the bath once the whole thing had dissolved.
I will definitely be repurchasing this bath bomb, not only is it for a good cause but I love how stunningly different this bath bomb is, I really wish this wasn't a limited edition. Skydancer is priced at £3.95 and still available online, I would definitely keep this for a special occasion or when I know I have the time to spend in the bath. You could even use half of this and take it out of the bath to use at another time. It's nice to know you've helped a cause and got something out of it too, it's also nice of Lush to give smaller charities some publicity.

What's your favourite bath bomb?

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SOAP & GLORY - SEXY MOTHER PUCKER GLOSS STICKS

I'm always so excited about a new release from Soap & Glory, I have tried a lot of products from the brand and use quite a few of their make-up products daily, especially their blushes and powder. I saw these Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks 3D Volume Lip Shines the last time I was in Boots and got sucked into the buy one get one half price offer. I really like lip crayons and have loved their Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Sticks in the past, I'm not sure if these have replaced them as I can't find them on the website anymore. I like this sort of lip product as they're easy to use, come in great shades and are moisturising on the lips. I like that these lip crayons are shaped like a lipstick so they curve around your lips.
These Gloss Sticks are smaller than the original lip crayons, so are great for on-the-go! But you actually only get a small 1.5g amount of product, but I don't ever finished a lipstick so that doesn't bother me. The formula is not sticky at all, they last a good time on my lips but I do have to reapply after eating and drinking. I picked up the shades Nudist and Pink-a-boo, Nudist is obviously a perfect everyday shade which is really natural on the lips. Pink-a-boo is a rosy pink which just adds a wash of colour on the the lips. Pictured above; Pink-a-boo on the left/Nudist on the right. They glide on really easily, they're creamy and don't catch on dry areas. The formula provides 3D Plump which makes your lips look fuller without the tingle that other Soap & Glory products have in them. As well as the two shades I picked up, there is also three other shades; Technicoral which is a flamingo pink, Pink Punch which is sophisticated pinky red and Purple Rain which is a rich plum that I have my eye on! All the lip crayons have a vanilla scent so are nice to keep reapplying throughout the day. I like to wear these to work everyday, but would probably use something with more colour payoff for evenings/weekends, but they definitely pack more pigmentation than the original gloss sticks. I will be keeping these in my handbag as they're ideal to use throughout the day.
The Gloss Sticks are really affordable at £3.50 each and great value when they're on offer, so I will definitely be collecting the other shades. I am also eager to pick up the new One Heck of a Blot Primer and Archery D-I-Y Brow Bar.

Have you tried Soap & Glory's makeup range?

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SUMMER FRAGRANCE - CLARINS EAU DES JARDINS

In my recent Selfridges Beauty Box, I found a product which I just fell in love with it's the Clarins Eau Des Jardins Smoothing Body Cream, it was definitely the stand out product for me! I had never really thought of trying a body cream from Clarins before as I just think of them as a skincare brand. But this is the great thing about beauty boxes, you find items you wouldn't normally buy yourself. I loved the body cream that much, that whilst I was in Duty free last month I spotted the matching Clarins Eau Des Jardins Fragrance in perfume form. I said to myself I didn't need another perfume but I couldn't resist this scent! The body lotion has as strong a scent as the fragrance and it lasts on my skin for hours which I love. It's great to use both products together to layer up the fragrance.
The scent is uplifting, fresh and just reminds me of Summer. The fragrance combines essential oils and plant extracts to create a fruity scent with notes of wild rose and comforting wood. It also contains etheric oils of grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, orange, citruses, black currant bud absolute, mint, bay leaf, along with dry oils of cedar, patchouli, vetiver and white musk. It's light on the skin but also moisturises, soothes and ensures skin is soft all day, it's suitable for all skin types. Clarins class their line of perfumes as treatment perfumes that not only leave you smelling lovely but soften and care for your skin at the same time and it's not greasy at all.
The scent is not overpowering and it instantly changes my mood from the first spray. I like to spray it straight after stepping out of the shower in the mornings. I feel Clarins fragrances are such value for money as I picked up this 100ml for £25.60 normally priced at £32.00. I really like the pebble shaped bottle, it's quite heavy so not ideal for travelling round, but I will be keeping this in my bathroom. It would even be nice to spray around the room before getting in the bath or shower, for a spa like feeling. This is definitely a Summer fragrance but I can see myself wearing it all year round. I used it everyday on holiday, great to use throughout the day or just for evening. There is also a shower gel in the line which I will have to try! I am intrigued to try out the other fragrances in the line now. 
The body cream feels silky, it's lightweight and absorbs quickly into the skin. My body feels hydrated after using as well as scented. The indulgent cream is enriched with three organic buds to cocoon the skin with rich moisture. Beech Bud extract helps to improve skin hydration while Sorbier Bud extract boosts the skin's natural radiance. Blackcurrant Bud is known for its high antioxidant content and its soothing, comforting properties. The body cream is priced at £29.00 for 200ml, which is definitely a treat but I would repurchase and I know Clarins regularly do gift sets at discounted prices.

I'm so pleased I purchased the Selfridges Beauty Box as I wouldn't be without this scent now, for me there's nothing like it! Have you tried any of the Clarins fragrances?

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LUSH BUBBLE BAR - POP IN THE BATH NEW FORMULA

I really enjoyed capturing my bath bomb last time so I thought I would try it again, this time with a bubble bar. Another product from Lush which I haven't tried before, Pop In the Bath Bubble Bar is a new formulation of the original bestseller. I like using bubble bars as you can split them into how many baths you want, reusing them again and again. I love the contrast between the bright blue and pink, it’s a simple design with the flower but they look great piled up high in store. I picked this one up from the Oxford Street store last month. You can break a piece off and crumble it under running water or use as much as you like to create more bubbles. I think using half the bubble bar creates enough bubbles for a pamper bath, but if it was just a regular bath time I would probably use quarter of the bar. The scent is zesty and floral and contains the ingredients, bergamot, lemon, mandarin oil and orange flower absolute, it reminds me of the Olive Branch shower gel. I really like the scent it’s uplifting and really refreshing, it reminds me of summer. The water feels so moisturising and very comforting. The water turns a turquoise colour, I think the colour is a lot more vivid than the old formula. The bubbles were still there once the water was drained out which was good as some bubble bars don't last as long as others. I think this is a great one to try if you haven't used a bubble bar before. It’s priced at £3.25 which I think is fair for the amount of baths you can get out of it.

What's your favourite bubble bar?

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