L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Clay Pre-shampoo treatment masque

When I saw a promotional image for L'Oreal Elvive's new Extraordinary Clay range I was definitely intrigued. Clay in haircare? Of course we're all used to clay masks for oily or congested skin, but the thought of putting any kind of clay in your hair made me think you might end up with a rather matted mess. I've been fighting a lifelong battle with my oily hair and I don't think I've ever found a product that does actually help me go longer between washes. My hair does naturally change slightly, sometimes it barely lasts a day but other times if I'm really lucky I might get three days, but products rarely make any difference.

The range consists of a pre-shampoo treatment masque, shampoo, conditioner and dry shampoo. The shampoo isn't colour protecting and although I haven't actually checked I assume it does contain sulphates, so I probably won't be giving that a try (at least while I'm still red anyway). I haven't really thought about trying the conditioner yet but actually it might be a good one for me to try as I'm always concerned about using too much conditioner or not rinsing it out properly and being left with oily hair straight after washing. The one I was really interested in though was the pre-shampoo treatment masque. I have also just bought the dry shampoo but haven't tried that yet so a review will follow in the future.

The reason the pre-shampoo treatment appealed to me is because I always shampoo twice when I wash my hair. The first time to remove any surface dirt and oil so the second shampoo can get down to actually clean my hair. If you find the shampoo you're using doesn't lather up very well I'd recommend trying shampooing twice as I always find that even sulphate free shampoos lather up much better the second time once the surface dirt has been removed from the hair. So I thought the pre-shampoo masque might work well as my 'first shampoo' and then I'd only actually need to shampoo my hair once. 

The masque is far from solid but is really quite thick and you do have to stick your fingers right in there to scoop some out. It has a menthol kind of smell to it and is blue and will dye your fingers blue, although this does wash off easily. The idea is you apply the masque to the roots of your hair and scalp and leave for 10 minutes before shampooing as usual. As the mask is so thick I like to rub a little between my fingers first before attempting to apply it to my hair to try and thin it down a little. This isn't really the easiest product to apply because as soon as it gets close to your hair it sticks in place making it difficult to try and get through your hair towards your scalp. I guess you should try and apply it all over your scalp but I mostly concentrate of the parts of my hair that get the oiliest, around my face and down behind my ears. When you leave this for 10 minutes it will harden like a traditional clay face mask, which does feel a little strange in your hair, but once you start to rinse and shampoo your hair it does come out reasonably easily. 

So have I noticed a difference? Actually yes, I think I have. Nothing ground breaking, I don't think I'm anywhere near being able to go 4/5+ days without washing my hair, but I think I have seen an improvement. I think it does still depend on how my hair decides it wants to behave though. If it really wants to get oily than it probably still will, but the first time I used this I definitely got a little longer out of my hair. I've never been a dry shampoo fan at all but I'm looking forward to trying the one from this range out and am hoping for good things. I'll let you know how I get on soon.

Have you tried anything from the Extraordinary Clay range?

Some similar posts

The Body Shop Rainforest Balance clarifying shampoo

Protecting my hair colour -going sulphate free

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Eye öf Hörus Liquid Define eye liner in Babylon brown

Now that I've mastered the art of liquid liner application (just about) I'm curious to try some different shades. I do like black but it can sometimes be a little dark for my pale complexion and ideally I'd love to find some reasonably priced purple and green shades. When I was picking the products I wanted to go in my first Love me Beauty box I spotted that they had an Eye öf Hörus Liquid Define eye liner in a shade called Babylon brown. A Google and Pinterest search didn't really help me out with what the shade actually looked like, but I decided to just give it a try.

Eye öf Hörus are an Australian brand that offer eye and brow products. Their formulas are based on those of the Ancient Egyptians and included sacred ingredients including organic moringa oil. They're still quite a new brand within the UK but you can get hold of their products from Beauty Bay and Cocktail Cosmetics and they've won a few awards in the UK including Best make-up brand in the 2015 Latest in Beauty awards. 

Eye öf Hörus' packaging is black and gold and reminds me of the likes of MAC and Illamasqua. The liner comes in a sturdy cardboard tube that features the same black and gold design. The Liquid Define eye liner is felt tip pen style liner, which is my favourite type of liquid liner as I find it the easiest to apply. It has a reasonably short nib, which I also prefer over a longer nib. When you replace the lid on this it has what I would describe as a cushion-close feel to it, you know like you can get on drawers so if you push them too hard they close slowly rather than slamming? At first I wasn't sure about it as it felt like it would squish the nib, but it's obviously there for a reason, I'm just not entirely sure what this is. The lid does replace with an audible 'click' so you know you've put it back on properly and it shouldn't dry out. 

I thought the gold/bronze band going around the packaging on the pen might be an indication of the colour of the liquid but this wasn't the case. I don't know why I thought this might be quite a light brown shade but it's actually really quite dark and when I presented my eyes to my mum and asked what colour my liner was she said black. I've compared it to Soap & Glory's Supercat liner in the swatch above and although you can just see a difference it's very slight. 

Although I did find this quite easy to apply it's a very fluid liner. By that I mean the link transfers very easily to your skin, so if you accidentally make contact with your skin in the wrong place you could end up in a bit of a mess. I would imagine that over time this might start to dry up a little but this might not happen until it's starting to run out. Because of how easily the ink transfer I would say this isn't one for a beginner or somebody who isn't very confident at using liquid liner. I've had one mess up (that wasn't too bad to remove working quickly) but I have managed to apply this presentably a few times, it just takes me a little longer than usual. 

I found that through the day this doesn't fade, and I do have slightly oily lids, and it also doesn't smudge. The smudge test (giving my eye a good rub) and asking my boyfriend (and checking in the mirror just to be sure) revealed that it didn't budge at all. When it came to removing it there was some rubbing involved but it does come away reasonably easily with an oil cleanser. 

I am slightly disappointed that this is very close to black but it is a very good liner, although as I said I wouldn't recommend it to anybody who is new to liquid liner or not very confident. The Eye öf Hörus Liquid Define liner is available on Beauty Bay for £15 but only the black shade appears to be available. 

What is your favourite liquid liner?

Some similar posts 

Love me Beauty

Max Factor False Lash Effect Velvet Volume mascara

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Ciaté coconut top coat

To be honest scented top coats or nail varnishes are a bit of a gimmick, I know we all like to smell nice but sniffing your fingers in public is probably best avoided. But as a general coconut scent lover I was definitely curious when Ciaté released a coconut scented top coat. I wouldn't have paid the full £9 for this, but when I spotted it in TK Maxx for about £4 I decided to give it a shot.

I believe this was originally introduced as part of the South Beach Socialite collection. I loved the look of the collection when it was first released and they did actually have one in TK Maxx, but somebody had stolen the top coat from the box. This is available on its own though, as are all of the nail varnishes from the collection, and as I said on its own it's worth £9.

Being quite an expensive top coat I did expect a lot from this and I found that it fell well short. The best thing about this was actually the scent which did smell like coconut, although not quite the sun lotion kind, and lasted for a couple of days. I was wearing this when I went round to a friends house for the evening and as we were talking about nail varnishes (not all evening obviously) I told her about this and offered her my fingers to smell. Awkward. 

One thing I noticed straight away was how thin this appears in the bottle with a consistency much closer to water than nail varnish. If you tip the bottle it kind of swishes around. I didn't find this particularly quick drying (and I expect my top coat to dry pretty much instantly) and although it seemed to apply well I found that it dried streaky. This and the apparent lack of a glossy finish just made my nail varnish look awful and I just wanted to take it off. 

I'm still on the hunt for my perfect top coat after falling out of love with Seche Vite and this definitely hasn't satisfied my need. A nice scent that sticks around for a while doesn't make up for a streaky finish that is distinctly lacking in glossiness.

What top coat would you recommend I try next?

Some similar posts

piCture pOlish nail varnishes - Tingle & Obsession 

Soigné sale bargains 

Nail art - Neon cow print 

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Free download - The follower tracker

I know numbers aren't everything but as a blogger with various different social media accounts it's nice to be able to see at a glance how you're progressing growth wise throughout the year. At the beginning of 2015 I set up a little spreadsheet for myself to monitor my growth and when I gave it a little overhaul for this year I thought why not make it available as a free download so other bloggers can also make use of it if they wish.

I'm increasingly starting to use spreadsheets to help me keep track of things like samples, but when it comes to the follower tracker I've popped in some formulas to automatically work out figures like total followers across all platforms and the number of followers gained. I'm a bit of a spreadsheet geek after completing a qualification in them back at college and it's actually come in useful occasionally!

I've tried to add all of the different social media accounts a blogger might have but I might have missed off any less popular ones. If I have missed any I can add them on. If you don't use a particular social media platform all you need to do is pop a zero in for that one each month. 

The first column is for your figures on each platform at the start of the year, so how many followers you had on each platform on 31st Dec/1st Jan. I should have made this available right at the beginning of the year as it's likely you might not know exactly how many followers you had on 1st January, but for this year you can make a rough guess of how many you had. You probably also don't know how many followers you had at the end of January but for this year you can pop zeros in for January and when you complete February's figures that will obviously include January's growth. 

At the bottom of this column the pink cell show the total followers you had across all platforms at the start of the year. At the end of each month you then pop your new follower figures in the corresponding column. At the bottom of that column you're shown how many followers you have in total across all platforms after that month. The figure underneath shows you how many followers you've gained during that month. Ignore the negative under the month you haven't yet entered figures for, that's just because the formula in that cell only has half the figures it needs.

When you complete your figures for the end of December those will be your end of year figures and the figures you'll pop in the 'Start of year' column for the next years spreadsheet. The 'Gained' column will deduct the number of followers on each platform at the beginning of the year from the end of year figure and show you how many followers you've gained on each platform through that year. The pink cell will show you the total number of followers you've gained across all platforms that year. 

At the end of the year you can copy the spreadsheet into a new tab on Excel. Just delete out all the figures you entered through the year and start again. Only delete any figures you've actually entered or you might delete some of the formulas. If you're not quite sure how to do this when the time comes just let me know and I can send you some instructions.

If you'd like to download the follower tracker just click here. I'll also be creating a page where you can access the download that you'll be able to find on my menu bar. Please do leave me a comment to let me know if you have downloaded it and if you have any questions just ask.

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Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Power serum

As much as I love the Avene Hydrance Optimale Hydrating serum I am a beauty blogger and therefore the allure of trying other products is always strong. I was fully aware the Vichy Aqualia Thermal Dynamic Hydration Power serum is a blogger favourite so when I got through my last bottle of the Avene serum I decided to give the Vichy one a try.

The Vichy power serum (I feel like I need to shorten the name a little!) offers 48 hour hydration and a fresh and radiant complexion with plumped skin and smoothed dehydration lines. It contains 10% thermal spring water and hyaluronic acid. Packaging wise it comes in a blue tinted glass bottle that you can see through so you can see how much is left in the bottle. I don't believe you can remove the lid to get into the bottle but as it comes with a pump there shouldn't be a problem getting all of the product out. There's a clear plastic cap over the pump to stop it dispensing if it's stored in a wash bag but I don't find this lid very secure. If I pick the bottle up by the lid it often comes off, meaning the bottle drops, and when I take this out of my wash bag the lid has often come off.

I find the pump dispenses quite a lot of product and for me at least this is far too much. If I applied it to my neck as well (which I probably should start doing) the amount of product might be more appropriate but I only apply it to my face. About half a pump at the most would probably work best for me. The way I've been trying to use it is to do a mini pump to get enough for one area of my face, forehead, one cheek, chin etc, but this is difficult to do and I often end up with more than I wanted.

When I first started using this I applied a whole pump to my face and was really disappointed to find that it didn't absorb fully and left my skin feeling tacky. I reduced the amount I was using and still found that it left my skin tacky. I then discovered that it was just my skin throwing a wobbly and refusing to absorb products and more recently this has been a lot better, as long as I don't use too much. 

I'm a big fan of hydrating serums and this does exactly what I want. It moisturises my skin leaving it soft, smooth and flake free and ready for makeup. If I feel like I need to follow up with a moisturiser on top then I will but if my skin is being particularly good or I'm in a hurry this is often enough. I wouldn't say it provides 48 hours hydration but then my skin is often dehydrated and as soon as it comes into contact with water it becomes dry. 

I would consider using this again but in general I don't think I would chose this over my current favourite Avene Hydrance Optimal Hydrating serum. The loose top is one reason for this but also because the Vichy serum is £22.50 whereas the Avene serum is £17, so there is over £5 difference in price between them. 

What is your favourite serum?

Some similar posts

Antipodes Limited edition Moisture Boost mini 

Tips for dry/dehydrated but unthirsty skin

Vichy Idealia Skin Sleep Recovery night gel-balm

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On trial - LightStim

I was recently contacted to ask if I'd like to try out a professional grade hand held beauty device from the US called LightStim*. LightStim uses LED light therapy to reduce fine lines and wrinkles, improve skin tone, reduce pore size, diminish puffy eyes, improve moisture retention and achieve a radiant complexion. Although LightStim is referred to as an anti-ageing device, and this particular one is called LightStim for Wrinkles, I was offered this to try after the the person who contacted me had read my post on tips for dry but unthirsty skin where I talked about how my skin often refuses to absorb products. So this isn't necessarily just for addressing the signs of ageing but can be used to generally improve the appearance of your skin. 

LightStim consists of 72 LEDs (Light Emitting Diode) which include amber, light red, dark red and infrared light. It delivers UV-free light into the skin to stimulate the body's natural process to build new proteins and regenerate cells, increasing collagen and elastin levels. LightStim has been approved by the FDA, which is the US organisation that ensures medical devices are safe to use and deliver effective results, and has also apparently been tested by NASA. I'm not entirely sure why NASA would want to test something like this, but apparently they have!

I will hopefully be testing this out for a period of 8 weeks and am planning to pop up a post around half way through to let you know how I'm getting on and then a post at the end to let you know my final thoughts. I'll let you know a little bit more about the device and how you use it in my next post.

Have you ever heard of or tried LightStim?

*PR sample

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Avene Clearance Expert Emulsion & comparison to Effaclar Duo +

As you may know I'm a big fan of La Roche-Posay's Effaclar Duo + and until recently I'd used it every single day since I first purchased it back in early 2014. The reason I have stopped using this recently is because I've been trying out a similar product from Avene called Clearance Expert Emulsion*.

Avene Clearance Expert Emulsion is described as a unique daily treatment to help prevent and treat adult acne, but I personally think this is quite a similar product to Effaclar Duo +.  I certainly use them both in the same way. Clearance Expert regulates the production of sebum (oil), mimics the skins natural exfoliation process without the use of acids, limits the spread of acne causing bacteria and helps to eliminate spots and blackheads. The main difference in terms of what the product does between this and Effaclar Duo + is the latter does make use of acids for improving skins texture and also contains something called Procerad, which rebuilds the skins surface and helps to reduce the inflamation, scaring and hyper-pigmentation that spots and breakouts can leave behind. There is also a difference in the look and feel of each product. I would consider Effaclar Duo + like a serum and would use a moisturiser over the top, whereas Clearance Expert is more like a moisturiser and I usually use a serum or facial oil underneath. Both products do contain fragrance but I can only really detect this in Clearance Expert and it only really smells like a cream/moisturiser, if you understand what I mean. At first glance Clearance Expert appears to contain alcohol, but this is Cetearyl alcohol, which is actually a fatty/waxy alcohol known to condition and soften the skin.

Please ignore the typo on the picture above (Effaclat!). It was only after I'd deleted the original image that I spotted it *head desk*.

I'm not sure if this is important but I will mention that I don't use either product all over my face. Although I do get the occasional spot on my forehead, around my nose or maybe on my cheek, it's hormonal and stress related breakouts on my chin that I regularly suffer from. So both products I use as a targeted treatment just on my chin.

Just as I started using Clearance Expert I developed a lovely cystic spot that always pops up in roughly the same place on my chin. Although it did take at least seven days for this to subside I was really pleased to see that when the actual spot cleared the lump and discolouration it left behind, which would usually take a few weeks to clear, actually disappeared very quickly. More recently I suffered a pretty bad breakout across most of my chin. I don't know why but I'd been experiencing hormone problem for two weeks before I even hit that time of the month, so I'm not surprised this really affected my skin. In the end I did have to turn to my prescription treatment but once the worst was over I returned to using this and it did a good job of helping to clear up what remained of the breakout. The marks from the larger spots haven't cleared up as quickly this time but the skin where the smaller spots were has recovered well.

I've found that if I have one or two small spots or a light breakout this does a good job of helping to treat it and prevent it getting worse. Although as I mentioned, and is also the case for me with Effaclar Duo +, if the breakout is bad enough I will have to transfer over to using my prescription treatment to bring it under control.

I really like both products and would happily consider using either. They're both almost exactly the same price at £15.50 for Effaclar Duo + and £15 for Clearance Expert, so for me personally it would probably boil down to grabbing the one that's on offer, or maybe Effaclar Duo + because that's the one I've used longest. Although I'm a fan of Effacalr Duo + I know a lot of people find that it doesn't work for them, so if you're one of those people I'd recommend giving Clearance Expert a try.

Avene Clearance Expert Emulsion is available from Escentual.

Have you ever tried either of these products?

Some similar posts
Blemish fighting skincare
Tips for dry/dehydrated but unthirsty skin 
REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying clay cleanser

*PR sample  

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The Body Shop Rainforest Balance clarifying shampoo

A few weeks ago I had a problem. The first part of the problem was that my hair was suffering from a build up of stuff I didn't want there and really needed clarifying. The second part of the problem was, as you're probably aware by now, my hair is now red and I'm not sure clarifying shampoos and red hair mix that well. Red is a shade that continues washing out of your hair every time you wash it (seriously, it's like the shower scene from Psycho) and I didn't want a clarifying shampoo to strip all of my colour out. What I really wanted was a sulphate free, colour protecting, clarifying shampoo. Does a product like that actually exist? Nope, not a chance! It's hard enough finding colour protecting shampoos that are sulphate free.

I tweeted asking for suggestions and a lovely blogger who works for The Body Shop suggested their Rainforest Balance shampoo.

This obviously doesn't tick all three boxes but as well as being clarifying this is also sulphate free, so I thought this is probably the best I'm going to get. It may not be colour protecting (I don't think a clarifying shampoo could ever be colour protecting) but at least there's no sulphates in their to contribute to fading my colour. 

This is a slightly unusual one because you do really need to read the instructions on how to use it to know how to use it properly. If you apply this straight to your hair you'll struggle to get it to lather, but the directions tell you to lather it up in your hands before applying to your hair. You still won't get an amazing lather, but it's better than applying it straight to your hair. The first time I used this I was a bit too cautious and managed to completely miss the worse patch on the side of my head. The second time I really went for it. I did use quite a lot and really got my fingers in there and gave my hair and scalp a good scrub. Yes this did completely knot my hair up but I just applied some conditioner to smooth it out afterwards and it wasn't a problem. My hair is only shoulder length though so this might be more of an issue for longer hair. 

The second time I was so happy with the results. My hair was finally clean and it was also soft and kind of light and bouncy. I also didn't notice that this particularly striped out any more colour than would normally come out when I wash my hair. I wouldn't use it too often, but then I would only use a clarifying shampoo as and when required anyway. This is a shampoo for oily hair, which I most definitely suffer with, but it didn't make my hair last any longer between washes. I've never tried a shampoo for oily hair that has though. My hair decides how long it wants to last between washes (it does vary between one to three days if I'm lucky) and there's not much I can do about it!

Although it's possibly not the easiest shampoo to use it does what it needs to do and does it well and for £2 for 60ml and £4.50 for 250ml it's quite reasonably priced too. You can buy the Rainforest Balance shampoo in The Body Shop stores and online.

What's your favourite clarifying shampoo?

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Max Factor Marilyn Monroe lipstick collection

I do have one of Max Factor's lipsticks somewhere in my collection (although I can't currently find it) but it's not one I tend to reach for. There's nothing wrong with it as such, it just doesn't really stand out against other lipsticks in my collection and so tends to be neglected. This will all be changing when it comes to Max Factors new Marilyn Monroe collection*.

L'Oreal lead the way with collections of lipsticks featuring shades designed to suit different skin tones with each shade named after a famous female who has the corresponding skin tone for that shade. Max Factor have followed this with a four piece collection of reds inspired by the iconic red lip wearer Marilyn Monroe. The shades have undertones of orange, blue and purple to work in harmony with cool, warm and dark skin tones. 

I'm not quite sure if Ruby red is actually the shade that Marilyn Monroe wore but if not this is inspired by her chosen shade and is a bold, true red. Sunset red is designed for warm or dark skin tones and is a burnt orange red. Berry has a blue undertone and so is designed to suit cool or pale skin tones and finally Cabernet is a rich deep red with purple undertones for darker skin tones. Cabernet is the only shade that contains a red shimmer. 

I've only tried two shades and those are the two that instantly appealed to me when I first received them. Unsurprisingly these are Ruby red and Berry, the two shades most suited to pale skin tones. I will give the other two a try but I'm personally not keen on orangey reds such as Sunset red and I think Cabernet might be a little too dark for me.

The first thing I noticed the first time I applied one is the unusual scent. I couldn't quite place it at first but would describe it as 'fizzy'. I've learnt that me describing a scent as fizzy means a citrus note and upon checking my press release I discovered the formula has been enriched with fresh citrus notes and vanilla undertones. Some people may not be keen but I personally love it and if I remember correctly I believe this does linger on the lips for a while. 

I was expecting the formula to be a little on the dry side, as that was my previous experience of Max Factor lipsticks, but I was delighted to find that these are far from dry. They have a gorgeous buttery soft formula that glides onto lips with ease and applies beautifully. That's probably because the formula contains grapeseed oil and avocado butter to prevent lips from drying pout over time. I honestly love applying these lipsticks! 

The finish isn't particularly glossy but they're not matte either, they're somewhere in between; I guess you'd call it satin really. I wasn't sure that these would particularly last well either but again I was pleasantly surprised. If you're doing a lot of eating or drinking then I think you'd need to reapply once you've finished, but if you're going light on the eating or drinking I could see these pushing towards the four hour mark before you might want to have a touch up. They also leave a stain on the lips (and my arm) which I think really helps when it comes to the colour sticking around. 

I love these lipsticks and can see me getting a lot of use out of Ruby red and Berry. For just £7.99 each I'd recommend getting yourself down to Boots and grabbing a couple, especially as Max Factor is currently on 3 for 2. 

Which red would you chose from the Marilyn collection?

Some similar posts

Max Factor Lipfinity long lasting lipstick 

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Givenchy Le Rouge Sensuously mat lip color

*PR sample  

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Product empties Jan 2016

Empties posts are not something I personally tend to do as I rarely use up products. Although I could save up the empties until I have enough for a post I just don't have the room in my already overflowing bedroom to have a stash of empty packaging taking up space. When two of my cleansers both ran out at the same time I snapped a picture thinking I'd keep it just in case. I then noticed I do actually have several other products that will shortly be running out. Not all of these are completely empty just yet, but I will be finishing them off in the near future.

Clinique liquid facial soap extra mild £16.50 This was one of a couple of skincare orders from House of Fraser last year using the gift card I won in the BAFTA competition. I wanted a new cleanser and had used this before and quite liked it and as there wasn't many cleanser options from House of Fraser I decided to repurchase. I was a little confused though as I'd previously used the mild version, which was like a liquid soap, whereas the extra mild version is actually a cream cleanser. I've been using this as my morning cleanser and evening second cleanse paired with my Magnitone and although it's a nice cleanser it's not super exciting.
Repurchase? Not right now but in the future yes possibly.

REN Clearcalm 3 Clarifying Clay cleanser £19 I love this cleanser and featured it in my blemish fighting skincare post. I was concerned this would be too drying on my dry skin but that wasn't a problem at all, in fact it leaves my skin feeling soft, and I found it really helped to prevent and also help treat breakouts. As the name suggests it also helps to calm any redness I have.
Repurchase? If I could afford it right now I'd repurchase right this second.

DKNY Women Eau de Toilette (prices vary) DKNY Women is one of my all time favourite fragrances but because of being a reformed perfume addict and being on a perfume ban (that I'm no longer on after ditching most of my old perfumes) I hadn't bought a bottle for years. When I saw the 30ml size on offer for I think £14 I had to grab a bottle for old times sake. I have noticed that this often appears to be reduced so I am a little worried it might be heading towards being discontinued. Although I still love this I was disappointed to find it really didn't last very long.

Repurchase? Yes, but I'd go for the Eau de Parfum instead

Laura Mercier Mineral foundation primer £29 I won this primer as part of a prize bundle from Laura Louise. Prior to this I wasn't a fan of primers as they did nothing for me but this one showed me what primers can do and is my current favourite. The only issue I have with this is the squeezy tube doesn't always work well for me as the product settles when it's on it's side so I have to shake it down towards the nib and then often when I squeeze it too much comes out.

Repurchase? Yes in the future when I've tried out a few others I have first.

Dr PawPaw Multi-purpose Soothing balm £6.95 This is a mini version I was sent as a sample rather than the full size worth around £7. This is a multi-purpose balm that can be used on lips, cuticles, dry skin etc. This is amazing for all of these purposes but recently this has been my go to product for my dry chapped lips as only this, the Pixi shea butter lip balm and Nuxe Reve de Miel have been able to tackle them. There is a little still left in this but the packaging has actually split meaning it comes out of the side rather than through the dispenser, which is a little annoying!

Repurchase? I've already repurchased the red version. 

The Body Shop Frosted plum hand cream £4 If you've been reading my blog for a while then you probably know these are my favourite hand creams and I've mentioned them several times in posts, so I won't say much here.

Repurchase? Frosted plum was a Christmas limited edition but I repurchase the permanent scents regularly. 

What have you used up recently?

Some similar posts

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The Body Shop Christmas hand creams

Blemish fighting skincare  

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