March Empties ... & Misses!

Bonjour!

To put it mildly it's been a bit hectic round these parts so a bit late with my March empties but never mind eh?  ...

Noble Isle Summer Rising Bath and Shower Gel - from a beauty box ages ago. What a gorgeous product, really does smell of summertime, flowers and sunshine. It's expensive but would love the hubby to buy this as a pressie for me sometime as a little treat!

Mandara Spa Tropical Blooms Softening Body Cream - lovely - heady and floral. Not the quickest to rub in (so I tend to save it for weekends) but it does leave skin soft and the fragrance lingers for ages.   Definitely will repurchase (again) and Mandara Spa are on offer frequently in Sainsburys so even better!

Maybelline Colossal Volum'Express Mascara in Black - I haven't had much success with Maybelline mascaras in the past. This one is ok but not brilliant - it doesn't make my lashes colossal or anything. I don't know - I've used big brushes before but the bristles in this one don't overly get on with my lashes and the formula seems a bit thin - just not feeling the colossal love unfortunately - shame!

Balance Me Super Moisturising Hand Cream - this is described as a blend of skin conditioners, butters and oil meant to help out even the driest of hands? I think I can safely say that my hands fall into this category! I prefer to apply last thing at night as it's quite rich but lovely and moisturising on my sore dry hands.

Liz Earle Nourishing Botanical Body Cream - a regular repurchase - love this as it's so gentle but soothing. Wish I could afford to use it all the time but I can't so tend to save it for days when my eczema is playing up or my skin feels extra irritated and it works wonders!

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip Topcoat - this really does get your nails touch dry in a jiffy with a lovely glossy finish. Unfortunately my nail polish didn't last much longer than a couple of days (that would be nothing short of a miracle!) and now it's gone all gloopy and sticky with still a third left in the bottle so I'll have to chuck it!

L'Oreal Revitalift 10 Repair Daily Moisturiser - I've used (and liked) the BB from the same range so thought this would be a good choice of day moisturiser but it's not worked for me.  I don't feel that it moisturises enough and every time I take it onto my neck it brings my eczema out so going to have to give up on it.  There's still a little left so will have to use it on my elbows or feet or something!

What have you used up last month? Have you had any 'misses'?

Jen x

November Favourites, Empties and Whips!

Bonjour!

I imagine this is probably the latest November Favourites/Empties post on the planet - it's well into December and there's so much to do - I'm verging on hysteria! Anyway - just thought I'd try and get it out there .. I've mixed up my favourites and empties as usual...

Phil Smith 'Be Gorgeous' Heat Defence Spray - bought this (what seems like) ages ago when it was half price at Sainsburys and it's practically empty now. A good little heat protection spray this one - I would repurchase - it does what it's supposed to and smells good too!

Laura Geller Baked Cheek Dreams - Neapolitan - a  QVC purchase from a while ago which I'd forgotten about (as you do!) - anyway - dug it out and have been using it a lot over the past month.  As you can see it looks like ice-cream and is a contour, blush and highlighter which can be used separately or all in one go. I love the 'chocolate' shade which - although looks plain brown in the pot is actually more of a deep, velvety, pinky brown once on. The strawberries and cream shades contain a tiny bit of shimmer but too much. As time is usually of the essence in the morning - I've been swirling my brush around the whole lot to grab a bit of each shade and it's worked really well. Quite a good all year round little blush pot!

L'Occitane 100% Shea Butter - a present (just emptied) from my mum which I've used on and off for months, mainly on hands, elbows and feet (if I remember - so bad at foot care!) as a night-time treatment.  A lovely tin-ful of  nourishment here. It's almost solid and waxy (so has lasted for ages) but melts easily once warmed either in your hands or onto your chosen body part! Has the lovely soft aroma associated with the L'Occitane Shea Butter range which I love.

The Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector - one of my favourite winter hand creams.  My hands get even more dried out once the cold weather arrives and this is again - ideal to slather on last thing at night. If you're familiar with this hand cream you'll know it has quite a distinctive fragrance which  personally I like. It's rich, soothing and almost medicinal - love it and have already re-purchased.

Dirty Works Bye Bye Dark Circles Concealer - another Sainsburys buy here. I use the lighter colour for under-eye shadows, it's a little cakey, so have to use sparingly. Also, there is no brightening factor to it but it does a decent job all the same. The darker colour at the bottom is a good match for my overall skin tone so I use it as a general concealer. It does a good cover-up job and doesn't slide off and need touching up too often.  Overall this is a good little concealing kit - only cost me just over £3.00 so a steal when all is said and done!

No 7 Pore Refining Serum - another empty here. I used this earlier in the year and have now just got round to finishing it off. It's nice for a bit of extra hydration under moisturiser but I can't - in all honesty - see that it's had any effect on reducing pore size - which was my ultimate goal - so there won't be a re-purchase. I've noticed that the packaging has changed on Boots website - not sure if the formula has changed or not though.

Aussie Aussome Volume Shampoo and Conditioner - I had high hopes for these two. Aussie haircare products are loved by so many and are so affordable and smell great. Unfortunately, I'm afraid this combo does absolutely nothing for me - my fine hair is left devoid of any volume and it just hangs there in a limp fashion  - it doesn't weigh it down with product though so no idea what the problem is.  My hair just does not get on with the duo and it's so much more difficult to style. Such a shame.

L'Oreal Revitalift Perfect 10 BB - I'm still in love with this one - it's my perfect BB for this time of year. You can read my full review here.  I find it so versatile for just a bit of cover, as a primer or for layering for a fuller face-on. Fortunately the colour is perfect for me which always helps! Definite re-purchase.

Sorry but I just couldn't resist! I've not had a Walnut Whip in so very long - it's been years -  so when I saw this pack of three in (yes - you guessed - Sainsburys) I just had to indulge! Tasted just as good as I remember too!

When did you last have a Walnut Whip?


Jen x

Review - L'Oreal Revitalift 10 Repair BB Cream

Bonjour!

These sample sachets of L'Oreal Revitalift 10 Repair BB Cream in Medium Tint were given to me by my lovely friend  because she felt they would be too dark for her. Long story short - I tried them out, liked the BB and so went out and bought the full size (it was on offer at Sainsburys at the time which was a bonus!).

So -  L'Oreal claim the above 10 benefits...

Having used this for a few weeks, yes I would agree with 1 - 6 more or less.  It covers minor imperfections (I still have to use concealer in the usual places). I do feel that it enhances, evens and refines the look of my skin and does give a bit of a 'glow' whilst keeping it hydrated for the day. Luckily I haven't any large age spots on my face or deeper wrinkles (yet) - so not sure that it would completely conceal them or that it has significantly firmed up my skin.  The SPF 20 can only be a bonus in my book.

The pump is hygenic and fairly easy to use, you don't need to push it all the way down or you just end up with too much BB. The cream has a pleasant smell, nothing mind-blowing or overpowering.  This is the time of year when I begin to reach for products that counteract the yellow hues which my skin seems to take on once any summer colour has faded. This BB fits that bill perfectly it's what I would call a sort of deeper beige with pink undertones and seems to be an ideal shade for my skin. I would liken it to a very light foundation as opposed to tinted moisturiser.  The consistency is fairly thick (like a rich cream) and does require some blending but nothing too tasking. It provides adequate light coverage, on it's own, at weekends for example but I've also used it for work, applying it early in the morning and layered it for slightly heavier coverage,  together with my ever-present Bare Minerals Mineral Veil.  It's lasted all day and kept my skin looking fresh even after I've been to the gym on an evening (I'm sorry but I don't remove my make-up before exercising)! It doesn't prevent my t-zone from doing it's usual 'oily thing' but then also doesn't make it any oilier or break me out. I've used it in place of a normal day cream and also over the top of it and both ways have worked fine for me.

Obviously this won't be everyone's cup of tea, I've read some negative reviews about this BB in the Light option - mostly relating to the colour of the product - so maybe this is why I've fallen lucky with the darker shade. All in all this BB is an ideal Autumn/Winter option for me - from the first application I was impressed by the product, it just fits the bill, is reasonably priced at £14.99/50ml and suits my skintone and type.

You can check out the L'Oreal Revitalift 10 Repair BB Cream on Boots website here.  What's your favourite BB of the moment and why?


Jen x