Empties - July/August 2012

Whilst I realise that I am a little late with this post, I just thought I would share with you the latest 'dent' I have made in my stash of beauty products.

Liz Earle Orange Flower Botanical Body Wash (£11.50 for 200mls)

I was really excited to try this product, especially as the reviews I had read stated just how gentle, soothing, and nicely scented it was. However, it pains me to say that I was a little disappointed. It did have a really lovely orange-based aromatherapy scent, and lathered well with the use of a shower pouff. The big downside for me is that it wasn't really moisturising and, if anything, I found it a little drying for my skin. For £11.50 there are much nicer shower gels out there.

Radox Moisturise Shower Gel with Chamomile & Jojoba 

I'm sure that this shower gel cost me just £1, and in stark contrast to the Liz Earle Body Wash mentioned above it is very moisturising, as well as being nicely scented and lathering up well. It is not a ground-breaking product by any means, but for £1 it is a bargain and highly recommended!

Gillette Satin Care with Aloe Vera

Again, not a groundbreaking product, but it is just another item that I have managed to use up in recent weeks. I always purchase Satin Care as I find it to be great value for money as a little product goes a long way. I have sensitive skin, and find regular shaving quite irritable to the skin on my legs. Combined with a good exfoliator and moisturiser, Satin Care prevents any irritation of the skin. Bingo!

Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Conditioner

I always wonder if I am the only girl on the planet who uses up approx half a bottle of conditioner per full bottle of shampoo - providing they are both the same sized bottles?! I tire easily of the same shampoo/conditioner combo and always end up with a fair amount of half-full bottles of conditioner clogging up my bathroom shelves. I am currently persevering with using one particular shampoo per all of my half-empty conditioners to rid my bathroom of these once and for all. Most people would just throw them away, but I don't believe in waste! The first empty conditioner is this one, which I am not overly keen on. It is quite a thin-consistency conditioner, and smells lovely. However, it doesn't seem to completely rinse out of my hair, and leaves it feeling lank, lifeless, and a little on the greasy side. I doubt that I will be repurchasing.

Clarins Hydraquench Moisturiser

I have previously written an in-depth review of this product, which you can read here, and I cannot tell you just how disappointed I am that I am now completely out of it. This is definately my most favourite moisturiser, and one that will be top of my Christmas list for Santa!! In short: Amazing product, a little pricey, but worth every penny. Highly recommended!!

Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer in Moderately Fair

This product just seemed to last forever! It is the type of product that you use alot, switch to a different concealer for a change, rediscover it at the back of your make-up drawer a few weeks later and start using it again, forget about it again, rediscover it again.... and so this pattern continues until it is finally used up.  It works well, but can be somewhat 'chalky' if the skin around your eyes is a little on the dry side, and it settles in the fine lines if not used sparingly. Having said that, I do feel like it does its job well, and is great value for money as it lasted me for ages (hence why there is no print left on the tube as pictured). Would I buy it again? Probably.

Clinique High Impact Mascara in Black

 By far, my most favourite mascara. It volumises, lengthens, and doesn't dry out easily. It can be easily layered without clumping for a variety of different looks. Put simply, I would repurchase it again in a heartbeat :-)

Simple Kind To Skin Moisturising Facial Wash

This is a travel sized product that I took on my trip to Paris back in April, and I am really glad that I didn't purchase the larger size. It is unscented - as most Simple products are - and doesn't lather well. I didn't feel like it gave my skin a good cleanse, it doesn't remove make-up easily, and I also found it quite drying. It didn't do anything amazing for my skin and, unfortunately, I wont be re-purchasing this product.

L'Oreal Casting Creme Gloss - Shade 415 Iced Chocolate

I used to religiously have my hair highlighted, but recently I have opted for darker locks. I absolutely love this brand of hair colour as they only last for up to 28 shampoos, and they leave my hair feeling and looking healthy, glossy and conditioned. This particular shade initially proved too dark for my skin tone, but it didn't take long for the colour to fade out a little. If you are a babe on a budget, I would really recommend giving these a whirl!!

Airwick Reed Diffuser

Although obviously not a beauty product, I had to add this in as I am loving these Diffusers. My favourite scent is Crisp Linen & Lilac, which smells exactly like fresh laundry. They last for around 2 months and the scent never fades. Also, they are an absolute bargain, and by far the best value diffusers I have found so far

So, that's it peeps! Phew. I need a cuppa now!!

Please feel free to let me know your opinions on these products too :-)

Claire

xXx

Clarins Hydraquench Face Cream Review- Dry Skin Needs This!!!

My sister first introduced me to the wonder that is Clarins Hydraquench Cream about a year ago, and I haven't looked back. It promises quick absorption, long-lasting hydration and unrivalled complexion radiance, and I would say that these are promises well kept!

The cream is lightly scented and of a good consistency - not too thick, but not runny like a lotion either, and a little goes a long way. It applies effortlessly and absorbs well into the skin, leaving it well moisturised without being sticky or greasy. I find its also a great base for make up, as foundation applies smoothly and blends well.

My skin is dry/sensitive and the dryness worsens significantly during the winter time, particularly to the areas around my nose and the corners of my mouth. However, this winter my skin didn't suffer any of its usual problems with dry patches, I just had healthy, smooth, moisturised skin throughout. I love this product so much that I am now on my third consecutive pot!!

Clarins Hydraquench Cream retails at £33.00 for 50ml and, when used twice daily, this product normally lasts me around two months. However, I think that it is worth every penny and really can't recommend it enough.

Would you like to open my Harrods Edition Glossybox with me?

Hey everyone,

This morning I received my much-awaited Harrods Edition Glossybox. I have been a subscriber to Glossybox for almost a year now, and I have received some really great products, mixed with some that I have been rather disappointed with. But there has been so much hype across the internet gearing us up for the exciting arrival of the Harrods Edition Glossybox, that I thought I would share the opening of my box with you!!

We were promised big brands, and extra special products all wrapped up with the exquisite Harrods seal of approval. The box itself is glossy white instead of the usual matt pink (I say usual matt pink, but three of the last four boxes have all diverted from this). The Harrods logo is stamped with pride of place on the lid, and the inner packaging is sealed with a Harrods sticker and wrapped in the classic Harrods Green Ribbon which also has the logo printed on.

Now for the BIG Unveiling......

I thought that the easiest way to do this would be to review each product individually. The first product that I opened was the Erno Laszlo 'The Hollywood Collection' 5 piece cream gift set. The description of this product is that it is a Limited Edition Collection of custom blend skin formulations inspired by our most famous and iconic devotees: Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Greta Garbo and Ava Gardner.

This contains trial sizes of 5 different products: Morning Beauty Rescue, Refresh Moisture Infusion, Instant Eye Repair, Intensive Porcelain Veil and Velvet Night Cream. The amount of product in each sample is not specified, but I think the best way to describe their size would be to say that they are each like the trial samples of foundations etc. that you would receive in the pages of a magazine. I may be committing beauty reviewer suicide now, but I have to say that I had never heard of Erno Laszlo before. However, I LOVE skincare, and am really excited to try all of these products - especially the eye cream, as I am turning the BIG Three-OH in a few days time, so anything that helps to keep the nasty wrinkles at bay is warmly welcomed!!! I also searched the Harrods website to ascertain the cost of full size products, but Erno Laszlo was nowhere to be found!! I did however do a Google search of 'Erno Laszlo Harrods', and thanks to British Beauty Blogger, I am now aware that the Erno Laszlo Brand is having a big re-launch in the UK which is taking place in 27 days, 12 hrs and 18 mins (and counting...) at Harrods - so the inclusion of this product in the Glossybox obviously ties in nicely with this.

Next up, Ojon Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum. As many of you will know, I suffered moderate hair loss following the birth of my baby, which has left my hair limp and thin. Not good :-( I also have really dry ends, which is the result of years of over-styling and highlights. The Ojon brand is again one that I haven't come across before, but with the promise of a 'weightless, highly concentrated serum that helps restore brilliant shine and softness to dull, damaged hair', this is another product that I am excited to try. The product received in the Glossybox is the full size as sold at Harrods, and retails online at £16 for the 25ml bottle. Smiley faces all 'round :-)

Another little skincare treat in my Glossybox is the Clarins Extra Firming Body Cream. This is a 30ml trial size, and I was so excited to receive this product as I absolutely love the Clarins range and use the Hydraquench Moisturiser everyday. The cream has a lovely subtle scent to it, and is great in consistency - not too thick, but not watery either. Perfect! The only issue that has confused me slightly is that the Clarins brand is also nowhere to be found on the harrods.com website. I can sort of understand that the Erno Laszlo range is not available on there yet, but Clarins is a brand that has been well-established in the UK for years. Surely it would have been good practice to have all of the items that were sent out in the Glossyboxes freely available for purchase on the Harrods website, otherwise aren't Harrods just pushing us to purchase full size products elsewhere, thereby taking our custom away from themselves? Hmm... Bad advertising practice I think.

The next item I received was a 4ml sample of Fendi's Fan Di Fendi eau de toilette. It comes in the cutest little bottle, although unfortunately the scent is not to my liking. It is described as "A luminous floral fragrance, radiant with sunlight and leaving a lasting impression of a light Roman leather on the skin". I usually go for light, Fruity, Floral scents like Stella in Two or Gucci Flora. But this has the distinct aroma of Calvin Klein's CK One, which takes me back to my teens. I am sooo over that scent!!

And last but by no means least, the product I have seen so many raving about... Da da da... The mini Burberry lipstick. Oh Yes! This is a miniature Lip Cover in Rosewood No4. Described as a "soft satin lipstick that offers intense moisture and luminous long-lasting colour for fuller lips", it is a pretty rosy pink shade that has definate staying power and is really moisturising. However, I'm not sure that this particular shade is for me, as I tend to wear more subtle lip colours.

So that's it for my Harrods Edition Glossybox. Overall, I am very happy with the items that I received, and think that Glossybox in conjunction with Harrods have done a really good job - they have set themselves a high standard though, that hopefully they will be able to keep up!!!

What items did you receive in your Glossybox?