Empties #10

I actually enjoy hanging onto my empties to then share on my blog for you guys, but also for me to look back on and think "yeah, I actually really loved using that product". Within this bunch there are definitely some staple products which I would highly recommend.

Firstly the Dove Derma Spa Summer Revived Fake Tan which I purchased after watching Anna Saccone's fake tan routine video. This is now one of my favourite fake tan products and I've written a full blog post all about it here. Anything to help with spots/blemishes is right up my street and the Garnier Pure Active Anti-Spot Exfoliating Scrub. It's a really invigorating scrub which really feels like it's doing something to help my skin out. Again you can read more here. Another great spot product is the Out of Trouble mask by Origins. This I personally find really soothing for my spots and it also helps calm down the redness.

The Urban Decay Naked Concealer is such an amazing concealer. It's obviously slightly more expensive and there are great concealers which you can purchase in the drug store. However, I do really adore this one for everything - spots, blemishes and those under eye bags. Next the Rimmel Super Curler Mascara which is aimed at holding and improving the curl of your lashes. This is quite a natural looking mascara which I love for everyday. I'm not sure it really helps with the curl of my lashes, I did still curl them myself, but it was a great mascara.

Jimmy Choo Flash Perfume is a new favourite of mine. I got this on one of Boots flash deals, when it was half price. It was a bit of a whim, as I had never smelt it before, but I absolutely loved it. Finally I picked up this SPAtopia Argan Oil Body Scrub from TK Maxx. I was simply in need of a new one and spotted this one so thought I would give it a go. I'd never even heard of the brand before but now I've fully used the product up, it was a really amazing scrub. It was invigorating and actually felt like it was getting rid of all the dead skin.

There we have it, that's another one of my empties posts all done. There are some great products featured in this post which I would really like to re-purchase in the future. If you've tried any of these products before, then I'd love to hear your thoughts about them in the comments below!

My Current Spot Saviours

Recently my skin has been playing up a lot and you guys know how difficult it is to actually pin point why it's happening, and it's probably just having a moment. A moment with a face full of spots though feels like a lifetime. For the past couple of weeks I've been getting patches of spots, especially on my chin and they're those horrible under the skin ones which are just bloody painful. Unfortunately there's not much you can do about those under the skin ones, other than to try and soothe it and get it out from under the skin somehow. These four products pictured are what I've been using, in attempt, to try and save my skin. Just look at how they colour coordinate together in these pictures, that makes me happy *loser*.

First the Garnier Pure Active Anti-Spot Exfoliating Scrub which I have been using every other day since I purchased it. I have really been enjoying this product, it's really quite invigorating but I like that as it feels as if you're really getting to work on those spots. After using this my face feels squeaky clean and ready for either the rest of my morning or evening routine, depending on when I use this product. Next the Boots Skin Clear Ultra Rapid Action Spot Gel which is a relatively new product I've been using but I always like to have a spot gel on my bedside table. I haven't tried this one before and it was on offer recently at Boots so I thought I'd give it a go. It's in a squeezy tube with a thin nozzle so it's really easy to determine how much product you get out. I wouldn't say this is my most favourite spot gel but it's not the worst. It helps soothe and calm down the redness of angry spots which I like and I make sure I apply this every evening before bed.

A slightly more expensive product I love is the Malin & Goetz 10% sulfur paste which I've had for quite some time now. It's definitely on it's last legs, as it's now quite dry, however I love this product. I use a cotton bud to apply this to those big, nasty spots before going to bed. This isn't really a day time spot get as it leaves a white residue on your face for quite sometime before sinking in. This really helps reduce the size of the spot and also helps to soothe. I like to use this product on my bigger spots and the spot gel on smaller ones. Finally Sudocrem Skin Care Cream which was previously sent to me and I have previously written about. Using Sudocrem on spots is just a cult beauty hack that everybody should know. This particular version is aimed slightly more at spots and is just a really soothing product. I either apply this and really rub it in or apply it in the evenings, but don't rub it in and let it sink in over night. Sometime I do a face mask in this product as it just generally helps your skin in several ways.

There's the four products I've been religiously using for the past few weeks to try and sort my face out! I'm going to touch wood now but I do think it is working and my skin is clearing up which is fab. Let me know your favourite cult spot saviours in the comments as I'd love to try them, if I haven't already!

Garnier Fresh Eye Make Up Remover

I hate taking my eye make up off in the evenings, I sure I'm not alone when saying this statement too. Not only do I hate removing it because it takes time and effort but I also have quite sensitive eyes and quite a few make up removers irritate my eyes. That's why I thought I would purchase myself a make up remover specifically for eyes and a sensitive one too.

I wasn't looking for a particular one and hadn't read any reviews prior to buying. This particular one from Garnier was on offer and only around a couple of pounds, so I thought I couldn't really go wrong. I've been using this product every time I've worn eye make up recently and have really enjoyed using it. I simply place some of the product on a cotton pad and lightly rub/sweep my eyes to remove the make up. It removes really easily with barely any hard graft rubbing and I only need to use one cotton pad for each eye - baring in mind I never normally wear full on eye make up and haven't yet used this product when I have done.

The next bonus which I'm super pleased with is that this product just works well with my eyes. Yes, it removes the make up but it does not in any way irritate my eyes. If I were to use another product I've tried previously then I normally end up with streaming eyes which end up going red. However there is none of that this remover so for such a bargain price and lovely product, I'm really pleased with this product.

Overall this is such a great product that I would definitely recommend if you have sensitive eyes like me! It's also a perfect size if you're one to travel a lot so bare that in mind too. Let me know your favourite eye make up remover for sensitive eyes :-)

Garnier Ultimate Blends 7-in-1 Dry Shampoo

I bet I can guess what you're thinking... another new dry shampoo?! Yes, I just can't seem to help myself when it comes to trying new ones out, thinking there must be one out there that lives up to my favourite Batiste. This Garnier one was recently on offer at Boots, hence why I couldn't resist buying it, and also I believe that it's a relatively new product.

I've been using this product ever since I received it, as I wasn't a fan of the Dove one I had been using, and I can say that this one is ok. Unfortunately I wouldn't go for much more than 'ok' simply because this one doesn't really refresh my hair. I feel after spraying this rather liberally onto my hair, it still has that greasy feel to it which is what I'm trying to get rid of. However I do love the scent of this one which is lemon and green tea, which is actually a really refreshing scent and perfect for a dry shampoo. I also love that this dry shampoo doesn't leave any white residue on the hair which is great and means less massaging in to get rid of it.

Overall I'm not fully impressed with this dry shampoo although this definitely is not one of the worst ones I've ever tried. As I said I love the scent which is refreshing, I just wish that this product would refresh my hair as well. I'm not saying it doesn't get rid of any of the grease, it does get ride of some definitely. Unfortunately I feel as though there is still some grease residue left in my hair which I am clearly not a fan of. Let me know your thoughts if you have tried this dry shampoo or one from the Garnier range!

Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I've tried many micellar cleansing waters over the past few months now and to be fair they all seem to do the job pretty well. But it doesn't go without saying there have been ones that I've enjoyed using more than others. This one from Garnier has been pretty hyped up in the blogging world and since my last one recently ran out I thought it would be the perfect time to try it.

I picked this one up from Boots when I last went browsing and was pleasently surprised when it was on offer (I believe it had like 1/3 off or something) which made it a little bit cheaper. Also there were not many left on the shelf, I may have even taken the last one, so it goes to show how popular it is even more so when it's on offer! I was also surprised at the size of the bottle you get, there's so much product in there so it's definitely worth the price you pay. I honestly think this is going to last me absolutely ages!

Now I've been using this product for the past few weeks and must say how much I've enjoyed using it. It glides over my face smoothly and also leaves my skin feeling smooth afterwards. I have very dry patches but also oily skin and I find this product works really well with both of those skin types. Normally I will use an actual cleanser to take the majority of my make up off and then to ensure I've got it all I will then use this product to get the rest off. It's amazing how much make up this product finds left on your skin. Sometimes there will be none but other days, clearly when I'm half asleep whilst cleansing, I'll find small patches that I've missed. Trust me that's very satisfying and just leaves my skin feeling super duper clean. I know after using this product that there will be no make up left on my face and that I can continue with the rest of my skin care routine. I will also use this product in the morning, just a quick swipe over to get rid of anything nasty that may have appeared during the night.

Overall I am super impressed with this micellar cleansing water and it is definitely up there with the best of them! Let me know if you have tried this product and what your favourite micellar cleansing waters are :-)

Empties #2

I can't believe Christmas has been and gone already. I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and Boxing day :-) I'm spending my day today watching all of the DVDs I received for Christmas and eating chocolates, just perfect. Onto the post, I cannot believe this is only my second empties post ever. I definitely need to remember more to keep my empty goodies to share with you but for now lets get talking about these ones.

Sephora Coconut Perfume
I picked this up a while back when I was in Rome, I simply love the smell of coconut, not so much the taste but the smell is lovely. So when I saw this little travel sized perfume I thought it was perfect. It's a great size to just chuck into your handbag and spritz whenever needed. The smell lasted a pretty long time and surprisingly so did this little tube. The only slight downside was that it was glass so not perfect for travelling but it served me well and I loved it.

Garnier Ultimate Blends 1 Minute Treatment
I was gutted when this beauty ran out. I picked this up when this range first came out and it worked miracles on my hair. It was perfect for those quick hair wash showers when you don't want to stand there for 5 minutes with a hair mask on. This one worked it's magic in just 1 minute. You popped this on your hair after shampooing and if your hair needed it you could then use conditioner but you didn't have to. I would sometimes just use a small amount of conditioner right on the ends of my hair to really give them a good nourish. This honestly really helped my hair and it's split ends. It also smelt amazing with avocado oil and shea butter.

Murad Blemish Spot Treatment
I got this spot treatment within a Murad gift set a while back from TK Maxx. I don't need to tell you how much I love a good spot treatment but I did really enjoy using this one. It had quite a runny consistency which was sometimes quite difficult to work with but once on the face it was ok. It didn't leave the affected area tight or stiff and it also didn't sting on application. It really helped my blemishes over night and the redness reduced. I've tried so many spot treatments, this one did work but unfortunately not one of my favourites I've used over time.

Jelly Belly Bubblegum Candle
I picked this candle up a pretty long time ago now but I'm so glad I did. This honestly smells incredible, within minutes my whole bedroom would smell amazing and it was all down to this candle. It sure had a long burning time to because it got to the point where I was having to light this everyday. This is by far the best candle I've ever burnt and I would love to see what other scents you can get from this range as I would 100% buy one.

And that's it for my second empties post! I don't have so many this time around but will have to definitely try harder to remember to keep everything I use up for next time around. Again I hope you all had a lovely Christmas and I'll see you next time :-)

Garnier Moisture Match Dry Skin Moisturiser

Hello colder months and for the first time (ever I think) I'm suffering from serious dry patches on my face. I was shopping with my mum recently looking for a dry skin moisturiser when she recommended this one for me. I was like yep that will do and here we are today.

This product is actually from a range of five different moisturisers all targeting a problematic skin area. So if the dry skin one does not appeal to you then I would definitely recommend checking out the other moisturisers in the range.

I've been using this moisturiser for a few weeks now and I must say it's an absolute winner for me. It really does say goodbye to dry skin and leaved my skin feeling super soft. It's quite a thick consistency when you squeeze it out of the tube but once applied to the skin and given it a minute to sink in, you cannot feel it. It's weightless yet leaves your skin with a slight glow and leaving those dry patches perfect for applying make up. When my dry skin started cropping up on my face the particular hate I had was that I just knew my make up wasn't going to sit well on my face. I now know that when I have applied this moisturiser my make up will 100% go on effortlessly. My foundation now doesn't cling to my nasty dry patches, it leaves them well covered. My dry patches are slightly red so I also now don't have to panic that they're on show but are now covered from my make up.

The only slight downside to some may be the scent. It has quite a strong floral scent which personally I don't mind but I know others will. It doesn't linger on the skin for long though so if you can put up with it I definitely would for this product! On a plus side it's super affordable and if you do suffer with dry skin and haven't tried this then I would get yourself to Boots.

Overall this is my current go to moisturiser due to the cold weather we've been having and if you're looking to get your hands on it then you can do here :-)

Boots haulin'

3 for 2 in Boots always catches me out, now I hear you ask; but you have four items, how does that work? Well I was shopping with my mum who only wanted two things so I pinched one of hers and bagged myself four. Thanks mum ;-)

Firstly I was in desperate need of a new moisturiser for dry skin and my mum actually recommended this Garnier Moisture Match one to me. My skin has become really dry in patches on my skin since the colder months have appeared and nothing I owned was shifting the flakiness. So this was an emergency purchase and so far I'm really enjoying it.

Next I picked up the Soap and Glory Drama Clean 5 in 1 micellar cleansing water and this caught my eye. I was in need of a new cleanser as my current one had completely run out and as always the packaging is divine. I do love Soap and Glory products so am hoping this one does not disappoint.

Next was a re purchase for me and that's the Clearasil Rapid Action Pads. I used these a lot a while back and simply forgot to repurchase them so thought I would pick up another pack. These are super quick and easy to add into your skin care routine and are effective. I'm glad I re purchased and you can read my previous review about them here.

Finally I picked up the Simple Kind to Skin Illuminating Radiance Cream. I'd heard a few things about this product and I am partial to a matte looking face but something about this drew me to buying it. I'm super excited to try this and see the results. It can also act as a primer which is a bonus.

And that's my Boots haul! I can't wait to try all of these products out fully and I'm sure there will be full reviews up soon. I'd love to know your thoughts on any of the products I purchased :-)

Garnier Ambre Solaire 1 week glow bronzer (for face)

When I've fake tanned my arms and legs etc. ready for summer I've always been too scared to fake tan my face as I've always imagined it to be a complete disaster. So I normally just stray away and go a bit more full on with my bronzer. But not anymore, this Garnier Ambre Solaire bronzer for the face has converted my to fake tanning my face and I'm so glad I now do.

This product is so simple and easy to use yet the results are so effective which is what I love about any product really. If they're easy to use and the results are great, what's stopping you? I actually purchased this as a result from watching Vivanna Does Makeup on YouTube and it's such a great recommendation. This product comes with step to step instructions, bonus, and I stick to them every time and always love the outcome.

First I simply exfoliate my face, at the moment I just use a small tester one I found lurking in my draws but any will do as long as your scrubbing off all that dry skin. I then wash it off and then apply the bronzer. It comes out of the tube actually quite peachy/orangey looking but it's not at all once applied to the face. I actually use my hands to apply this product as I've found that, as long as they are washed straight after application, the product doesn't leave that nasty fake tan hands look. You do also just have to make sure that during application you blend this into your hairline and eyebrows so you don't have a line around your face. Also that you try and apply as evenly as possible, which is easier to say than do, but I find as long as I really work the tan into my skin then all is well.

And that's it! Voila! Such an easy product to use and it really does leave my face looking bronzed when I wake up in the morning, as I tend to do this in the evenings. It does not leave my face streaky in anyway whatsoever. It does say that with this product you then won't need to wear foundation, I still preferably do just a slightly darker one from my normal skin tone. This is obviously down to preference, I just like to still put some on for that extra coverage that I feel comfortable with. There is a slight smell to this product but personally I don't find it at all horrible and it's definitely not that horrible fake tan smell. It actually says it includes apricot extract so maybe that deters the smell away from your normal fake tan smell. As for the lasting 7 days I think it really does, I would say definitely no longer than 7 days and anything after kinda 5 days you could probably reapply as that's when it starts to really fade away.

I'd definitely recommend this product as I absolutely love it and I would say don't be scared! This was my first fake tan on my face and it turned out brilliantly so give it a whirl. I'd love to know if you have any other face fake tan recommendations :-)