August & September Empties.

You may or may not have noticed that in August I didn't do an empties post.
I had hardly any products to show you but over the month of September they have accumulated greatly!

I've decided to use up a lot of my products that were half full or less because I'm terrible for switching up my products before they're finished.

So first up is body products!

Tesco Soft & Smooth Hand & Body lotion - I only use this on my hands and have for years. I find that it's the only hand lotion that works for me no matter what else I try!

Nair hair removal cream - This is just the original formula and I really didn't think much of it. I prefer the newer options and probably wont re-purchase this unless I can't get any thing else.

Impulse Magical Glamour shower gel - I really love this scent! I got about 4 gift sets with this in at Christmas and only now am I finishing them all up! I didn't find this shower gel particularly moisturising , but as a shower gel - it did it's job!

The Pink Cow A Very Quiet Body Scrub - I love love love this scrub and it smells ridiculously amazing! It's got a really gentle coconut fragrance and works fantastically  However it leaves a horrible residue in the bottom of the bath (but what body scrubs don't?).

Ayuuri Body wash in Sandalwood - I loved this shower gel (and so did my boyfriend). The scent is very uni sex and a little goes a long way! I received this in a Glossy box and know that you can get it in Tesco.

Sure Long Lasting perfection deodorant - pretty boring really, just an armpit spray. It's nothing revolutionary but it's not awful either.

Nivea Invisible protection deodorant - really not a great product, i mean it didn't stain my clothes but it was so moist, and that's not what I want from a roll on!

Hair care products.

Dove Intensive repair mask - This is a product I was trying to use up and only got one use from it (I'd already used the majority of it). I wouldn't label it as an 'intensive care' product but it was ok. There are much better products for a similar price.

Charles Worthington mineral hair rescue - you know I love this product ... I don't need to go into too much detail .. but it's amazing, I highly recommend it!

Lee Stafford Treatment for hair that never grows past a certain length - I picked 3 of these up when boots were having a 3 for £12 offer (I basically got these for half price!). They are good as a mask but I'm not really noticing a difference in growth (but that's a whole different blog post).

Uniq one all in one hair treatment - This is a sample product I got form a beauty box and I really like it. I've used it as a leave in conditioner as well as an all over mask - just a shame the sample was so small!

Wilkinson heat protection spray - For just a pound this product does it's job just as well as more expensive alternatives.

Charles Worthington moisture seal conditioner - I loved this conditioner, but I am a conditioner whore, I'm always trying new brands! I would 100% re purchase this product!

Fragrance

Karl Largerfield Sun Moon & Stars -I wore this all the time from about when I was about 12-15 and it always brings back great memories! I got one squirt from it last week as it was practically empty!

Ghost - Another fragrance I wore as a teenager and loved!

Marks and Spenser Butterfly EDP - This was a gift for Chistmas and I wore it all over the new year period and again have such good memories associated with this scent (is any one else like this?). It's such a light and girly scent and the perfect size to carry in my bag!

Skin Care

Tesco Cucumber Cleansing wipes - my usual wipes. They get the job done and are only 99p!

Tesco Sensitive cleansing wipes - I picked these up because there were no cucumber wipes in the shop and I was in desperate need! I didn't like them as much as the cucumber ones.

L'Oreal Dermo expertise eye make up remover - My favorite make up remover - I get through this stuff so quickly!

Taaj Make up remover - (this has a fancy french name but it's make up remover!) I loved this product and its on par with my L'Oreal make up remover. I received it in a Jolie box but have yet to find a UK retailer!

Mac makeup brush cleanser - Not really skin care but I thought I'd chuck it in this part anyway. It's a good brush cleaner but I probably won't buy it again as it's a bit pricey for what it is.

L'Ooccitane D'angelique hydrating Creme - A fantastic product! I loved using this. The only down side was the smell. It has a very herbal scent which I don't like but  it made my skin feel amazing!

Nail products.

Elagant Touch nail polish remover -This polish remover was excellent but I felt like it really damaged my nails!

NYC top coat, Grand central station - My Favorite drug store top coat! It dries fast and gives a great finish!

Do you use any of these products?

What are your opinions on them?

Love for Lush

Ok, so I feel like every other blog I read now a days is a lush review/ haul. And here's another!

I discovered lush about 4 years ago (I think?) and I tried a few face masks but one bought me out in a mega rash! Seriously my whole face was red and blotchy! Understandably I stopped using lush. But my rash didn't budge. 

So any way turns out it was something else which broke me out not the lush products.

My skin always looks dull when I use products which aren't natural or very mild. For example something such as Superdrug's Vitamin E cream is too harsh on my skin and gives me small bumps under my skin. 

I've been hearing soooo much about lush latley and decided that I needed to treat my skin and hair to a bit of TLC ontop of my regualr routine.

Off I plodded to Lush and I bought 'Oatitix' and 'Hair Doctor'.

Oatifox is a gentle face mask and cost £5.75

Hair Doctor is an intensive hair mask and cost £6.50

Oatifix

'Cleanse, soften and moisturise dry, sensitive skin. A blend of bananas, vanilla and oats to cool and nourish, illipe butter to reduce redness, ground almonds to gently polish and kaolin to cleanse your skin'

This smells absolutly amazing! It smells just like banana flap jacks! mmm I just want to eat it all up! 

This has got ingredients in it, one being illipe butter which has amazing moisturising qualities. 

The instructions say to leave it on for 5 to 10 minutes but I could just sit with it on my face for ages. Once you get over feeling like you're covering your face in Goldielocks' breakfast then you can really enjoy the product. The smell relaxes me automatically and as it drys it tightens on the skin ever so slightly. 

I wash this off of my face with warm water on a cotton pad and leave it at least an hour before continuing with my usual skin routine. 

My skin is so soft and feel so refreshed and looks really fresh and alive.

Hair Doctor

'Hair & scalp mask - If you've really got your hair in a bad way, then you need this stimulating mask made from seaweeds and mud.'

'If your hair could dial 999- this is who it'd call. Give hair doctor a go - you'll love his bedside manner.'

This product was a complete impulse buy. I went into lush to buy a new solid shampoo bar and was just having a mooch and found this and thought I'd give it ago.

Over the last 3 months I've really stepped up my hair care routine as I'm trying to grow it. This means no heat and super deep conditioning.

I used this on my hair this week and as you can see by how much I'v used I really loved using it!

Again it smells delicious! It contains ingredients such as seaweed, coconut oil and peppermint. I covered my hair in this and left it on for half an hour then rinsed and shampooed.

My hair was so soft and silky!

I went to the hairdressers for a trim today and she was so impressed with the condition of my hair! She couldn't believe just how lovely it was!

So both of these products have massively impressed me and I will 100% be re-purchasing these!

Love Your Hair

I've only gone and found a miracle hair routine haven't I? AND on a budget!
I feel like the cat who got the cream.
So lets rewind a few years to the beginning of my hair adventure. As a kid I had the most gorgeous blond ringlets and I curse the day I ever picked up a pair of straighteners! When I started high school I decided to burn the shit out of my hair and basicly just neglect it. I straightened it everyday, never used heat protection and then started to dye it. My hair was a right state and I just don't even know what I was thinking. Anyway when I was 16 I gots very ill and lost all my hair :'( waaahhhhhhh cry cry cry.
But when it grew back I had a fresh start with my hair.
But it grew back completely different. It grew a grey blonde colour and the texture was just completely different, and, omg it was always greasy!
I went through years of hair dye, straighteners, curlers and general neglect. Thank god my mum had always forced me to use conditioner, I think that was my only saving grace!
So anyway this time 2 years ago I had shoulder length bright red straight hair and I loved it so much and I desperately miss it! Then EVERYONE and their mother jumped on the red hair trend and I just went right off it.
Hello ginger hair.
Turns out red is near impossible to get out of your hair. So I went through months of transitional hair colours and just bad hair days. Then one day I had to get it all cut off :( There was no way I could have kept it long, it was appalling!
So I've learnt my lesson right? Nope. Straightening every single day and still no heat protection. Then last summer I went on holiday and it was just so dry and brittle again. I had to go to the hair dressers in Turkey. It was the best hair cut I had ever had, even though the guy who cut my hair could hardly speak English and my Turkish stops at Turkish delights. And it only cost me £9! woi!
So now I have learnt my lesson! As I'm trying to grow it I have regular hair cuts at every 10-12 weeks. I avoid heat as much as possible but always use a thermal protection serum just in-case as well as a liquid keratin spray. My hair is really soft and lovely now but I still struggle with the greasy-ness and have to wash it every other day, which is just a pain in the bum!
But alas! I have found my perfect hair care routine, and a few miracle products!
Well what is it? Now that I've bored even myself with that story here it is:
Step 1: Wash - Lush Shampoo bar

I use Seanik wich is just great for greasy hair. It does smell like the sea when you sniff it, but doesn't leave a smell on your hair. It lathers up AMAZINGLY! It's much better for your hair than traditional shampoo as it doesn't contain all the nasty chemicals. Its also great for your scalp and lasts ages! I bought my first bar just shy of a month ago and it's still going strong! They're a bargain at around £5 each!

Step 2: Treat (once a week) - Charles Worthington Mineral Hair Spa

I have so much love for this product! It smells amazing and works wonders. Every time I use this  I leave the shower feeling like I've just left the salon! I use this once a week as I don't want my hair to get too used to it but it works so well I just couldn't use it any less. I apply a generous amount after I've shampooed and really massage it into my scalp and lengths of my hair. Massaging your scalp is also beneficial for hair growth as it stimulates your folicals and coxes the hair out. I'm sure its what Repunzel uses. It retails at around £6 in boots, superdrugs and supermarkets, but you can often find it on 2 for £7 promotions.

Step 3: Condition (every other wash)  - L'oreal Elvive Nutri-Gloss Light for greasy hair.

I switch up my conditioner regularly and if I have an itchy scalp I use head and shoulders (steer clear of H&S if you have coloured hair as it dulls your colour!). This is my conditioner of the moment and I find its a lovely conditioner and makes my hair soft and smell beautiful but it doesn't really help with the greasy-ness issue. However I find the light formula alot better than the regular. This product retails at around £4 ish and I get mine at Tesco, but again it's widely available.

Step 4: Treat - Andrew Collinge One Minute Wonder Salon Treatment

The final piece to my  hair wash routine! I use this product every wash on the ends of my hair, but not the roots as I just generally try to avoid products on my roots. This has a uv protector in so is great for use in summer or on holiday. Its not the kind of product that has a difference after one wash so you have to be patient, but it really helps my split ends and flyaways! Plus its super cheap and retails for about £3 and I only use a small amount! Leave it on for a minute, work it into your ends and wash away.

So those are the products that I use in the shower. 

TOP TIP!

When you wash your hair, do not use hot water! Use warm or cold water as your scalp can get burnt if the water is too hot and that's not good for anyone!

Next is time to protect my hair.

Step 1: Repair! - Schwarzkopf Gliss hair repair, with Liquid Keratin.

I love this spray! It smells amazing and works to repair any breaks in your hair. It works magic on split ends and doesn't leave your hair greasy after use. I spray it generously onto wet hair and leave for a minute to soak in as I work my fingers through my hair. Again this product is sooo cheap! It costs around £2 in Superdrugs but about £1.50 in Savers!

Step 2: Heat Protection - Tresemme Heat Defence Styling Spray

This is just a standard heat protecting spray and I do switch  up the products I use as far as heat protection spray goes. This retails for around £4 (I'm not completely sure!). 

Step 3: Heat Protect Serum  - John Frieda Frizz-Ease Thermal and UV Protection Serum

I love the frizz-ease range and always have at  least one of the products on the go! I don't have frizzy hair at all but I have yet to find a better heat protection.  I only use this on the ends of my hair, but I am very generous as I just don't want my hair to be destroyed by heat again and you can never be too safe! I use this even when I don't put heat on my hair as it does tame the ends of my hair nicely. This retails for about £4-5 depending on where you buy it and it is soooo worth it!

 And finaaalllyyyyy when I do decide to use heat to style my hair I use this baby:

Its the Tresemme Salon Professional Volume Styler. Or as I like to call it, my magic wand!
Its available at Boots for £25.49 and is definitely worth it! As I said I like to avoid using heat on my hair but when I do, this is what I reach for.
Personally my hair never looks better than after I've been to the salon and had a blow dry. When I try to recreate the look at home with my blowdryer and barrel brush it just takes for ever, never looks as good and gives me major arm ache!
With my magic wand I literally just brush my hair with it. It gives so much volume and is so easy to use. The heat is also not applied directly to your hair so is better than straighteners and leaves your hair straight if you pull it tight.
Click here for a Youtube tutorial of Gemma Maquillage using a similar (but more expensive) version of my magic wand.

If I'm not putting any heat on my hair I just work abit of mouse into the lengths to give it a messy look.

Hope you found this helpful as I have yet to find a blog or youtube video with this products (apart from the lush shampoo bar) in and just had to share!