Empties Sept/Oct 2012

Timotei Pure Shampoo & Conditioner (Normal/Greasy Hair)

The Timotei Pure range are new(ish) hair care products that are free from parabens, colourants and silicone's. This particular shampoo & conditioner is infused with green tea, and has a light, fresh scent that really stays after the hair is dried. The shampoo lathers well, and the conditioner is lightweight but rinses well and leaves the hair feeling de-tangled, glossy and in great condition. I also found that I didn't really need to use a dry shampoo the day after washing my hair as it wasn't as 'greasy' as it normally can be. So, a big thumbs up for this combo!!

Original Source Cranberry Daily Scrub

For use simply as an everyday scrub, I wouldn't say that this is the best product on the market as the grains are few and far between, so I popped a little on a shower pouff and used as a simple shower wash instead. Not exactly how it is advertised for use, but it worked well all the same and I didn't feel like I had wasted my money. On a positive note, it smells deliciously sweet, lathers well, and left my skin feeling soft. It was a great bargain for a pound.

Aussie Take The Heat Leave in Spray

I have used this product after every hair wash over that past six months or so. It combs through the hair well, and it has moderately helped to protect my hair. It smells good too. Would I purchase this product again? Hmm... its good but it is not the greatest heat protectant spray available, so more than likely I wouldn't.

Boots Extracts Almond Body Scrub

I loved the smell of this product, and it left my skin feeling great. Although it does say it is a gentle exfoliating scrub, it just didn't have enough 'scrub' to it for me, and for a cost of £7.95 for 400ml I think there are better products out there.

Body Shop Cocoa Butter Body Butter

I am a big fan of any of the Body Shop Body Butters, and this particular one is no exception. Made with Community Trade cocoa butter, it did a great job of moisturising my dry skin. All of the Body Butters are a bit on the pricey side, but they always smell great, apply easily, and dry quickly. This little 50ml size is also ideal for travel, as the larger size butters are quite bulky. 

Origins A Perfect World Moisturiser

This little tube was good for a weeks worth of testing, and I have to say that I was really impressed with it. Aside from the smell, which I wasn't overly keen on, my skin felt really soft and moisturised after using this product. It provided a great base for my foundation, allowing it to blend easily. A full size 50ml jar is £33.00, and I think it is a product worth splashing out on.

Flora by Gucci

I love almost all of the Gucci fragrances, and this one is by far one of my favourite scents of all time. As the name suggests, this perfume has a light, floral scent, but without being too sickly-sweet. I would repurchase it again and again, and am really unhappy that this bottle is empty :-(

L'Occitane Precious Night Cream

Oh, how I am falling in love with the L'Occitane range. This particular product claims to reinforce regeneration of the skin, visibly correct deep wrinkles and improve skin firmness. It works overnight, and is just such an amazing product. The smell is a bit iffy, but it is such a rich, indulgent moisturiser that I wouldn't hesitate to spend £49 on a 50ml jar. I don't know how well it would work on deep wrinkles, but my skin absolutely loved it.

L'Occitane Rose 4 Reines Body Milk

As body moisturisers go, a body milk is not something I would have ever considered purchasing. This was before trying out this generous sample. It is enriched with grape seed, and I applied it to my legs, tummy and arms after having a bath. My skin not only smelled amazing, but was left feeling super soft and more than adequately moisturised. I have to say that I was quite shocked after using this product, as I didn't expect any body milk to be this good - they always just seemed too watery in consistency to do any worthwhile moisturising. It has super fast absorption, and the scent is one of a beautiful vintage rose product that your gran would be proud of. A full 250ml bottle retails at £18.50.

L'Occitane Repairing Shampoo & Conditioner

These are products formulated with a natural origin vegetable complex of 5 essential oils. The shampoo aids repair of dry, damaged, colour-treated or chemically-treated hair. The conditioner strengthens, regenerates, nourishes and helps to restore capillary fibres. It also claims to detangle, soften and add lustre to hair. I loved both of these products. After use, my hair felt thicker, glossier and healthier, and in much better condition that it had done for a long time. The shampoo is £14 for 300mls, and the conditioner is £14 for 250mls - not exactly a bargain, but I guess sometimes you get what you pay for. And I would definitely purchase these at full price.

 

I hope you like my empties - what products have you used up lately?

 

Claire

 

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Recent Purchases: River Island, Primark, Nars, Laura Mercier & L'Occitane

Lately, I have been shopping on several occasions where I have picked up a few bits and pieces here and there. I have combined these into this little haul for you all to see :-)

I absolutely LOVE my new boots from River Island!! Usually, I would opt for good old brown or black in a boot, but when I saw these I just had to have them!! They are faux fur-lined, making them the most snuggly boots ever. They come in a few different colours, and I have my eye on the grey ones too. I love their versatile style, and at £30.00 they were an absolute bargain. I can't wait to wear them this Autumn :-)

I also treated myself to a new pair of pyjamas from Primark. They are made from a stretchy jersey-type fabric, and as soon as I saw the pretty vintage-style bird print fabric I snapped them up! They are so soft and comfy, and I am sat here in them whilst writing! Ideal for those cold winter nights!! For £8.00 you just can't go wrong - Oh, how I love Primark!!

A little while ago, L'Occitane kindly sent me some free samples. I was so impressed with the products I tried, that I decided to take a trip to their recently-opened store in Queens Arcade, Cardiff. I am always on the hunt for a good hand cream, and with the assistance of the two lovely girls that work there, I decided to splash out on the One Minute Hand Scrub and the Dry Skin Hand Cream (available here as a duo). I got to try both products out in-store and was really impressed. The hand cream is multi-award winning, and the scrub has received excellent reviews online. I am looking forward to putting both products to the test during the upcoming winter months.

The Laura Mercier Creme de Pistache Gift Box was a rare find, and an absolute bargain. It contains a full 200ml size Body Wash (RRP £29), a full size 50g Hand Cream (RRP £13) and a 100g Souffle Body Cream (worth £14.50). However, I paid a 'measley' £35.00 for all three products - a saving of over £20!! For those of you who haven't yet sampled the delights of Laura Mercier's bath & body care range, I urge you all to take a look (and a sniff) the next chance you get. I promise you, you will be hooked!! Unfortunately, this gift box was the last in-store of a discontinued line, but I purchased it in House of Fraser, Bristol. I know they are out of stock of these on the website, as the newly packaged gift sets are on their way in time for Christmas, but keep your eyes peeled for the possibility of finding one in your local store!!

And my final purchase, the 'All About Eve' Eyeshadow duo by NARS. I am becoming somewhat addicted to NARS products lately, and it seems that every time I pass a counter I can't leave empty-handed. I have wanted this particular eyeshadow duo for a while now, but I was lucky to also receive three 2ml trial samples of the new NARS Skincare line, namely the gentle cream cleanser, luminous moisture cream, and the optimal brightening concentrate. The full-size versions of these range between £20.00 and £50.00, so I will let you all know what I think as soon as I have tried them out :-)

So thats it peeps, I hope you all like my new purchases as much as I do :-)

Claire

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L'Occitane Freebies

Hiya!!

As you maybe aware, I have lost faith in beauty boxes. Glossybox is the main culprit for this, because although the theory behind the beauty box is amazing, I will never understand how a company can charge the consumer for samples which can be obtained for free?! The mind boggles!!

Anyway, this thought leads me nicely onto a little idea that my sister had recently. She was on the quest for freebies/samples and simply decided to email companies requesting samples of their products. Many politely declined, but one in particular were very generous, and so I also decided to send a little email to L'Occitane via their website requesting some free samples. I politely asked if they would be able to post some samples out to me as I was very interested in purchasing some of their products in the future as gifts for Christmas etc. I had a very friendly reply, stating that they would be happy to send out some samples to me. Simples!!

Within a week or so, a little L'Occitane labelled letter arrived, and I was thrilled to find a good handful (17 to be precise) of samples contained within. These included a selection of shampoo, conditioner, hand balm, face cream, anti-ageing cream and body milk. They are all quite generous samples, every one of which I am excited to try, especially as L'Occitane is a luxury brand and many of their products are award winning.

So, this little exercise just goes to prove that you really can get some lovely samples for FREE. I didn't even have to pay postage!! And on a further note, customer service also means alot. I was so impressed with the communication and efficiency of the L'Occitane email service that I have already purchased two full size products (to be included in a haul post coming soon.....)

Have you bagged yourself some great freebies lately? Please let me know what you think :-)

Claire

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