Summer empties...

It appears I have a favourite deodorant….Also loved how long the Soap & Glory Foam Call shower gel lasted and it smelt delicious. I'm fairly fickle with body products though, and I can't say I've repurchased any of these...

Elvive Fibreology shampoo is my all time favourite I'm well into my second bottle of this stuff and I'll 100% keep using this for the foreseeable future. Also loving the Batiste XXL dry shampoo…forever a staple in my hair routine. I didn't love the Philip Kingsley Elasticiser as much as I expected to - it's one of those cult blogger products I just couldn't get into. Another re-purchase has been the V05 dry backcomb spray - it's the perfect texture and not sticky at all, an absolute livesaver in my freshly washed hair. 

The Garnier Micellar water is an empty from my professional makeup kit…I get through this SO quickly its ridiculous but it is a perfect dupe for Bioderma. The only two products I've not repurchased were the Nivea eye cream (an eye cream is an eye cream and I've since found cheaper alternatives) and the Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser. This was nice but a bit heavy for my oily skin. 

The second my Seche Vite top coat ran out, I could have cried. Don't fear though, I've got back ups of this as it's probably one of my top five holy grail products of all time. The Elf brush shampoo and Scandaleyes mascara were definite no-loves. My top tip of the day is STAY AWAY from this mascara, awful awful awful. 

What has everyone else used up over the summer months?

Loves

xxx

You know you're a makeup addict when a dressing table brings this much joy...

So yes, I know the Ikea Malm and a ton of Muji storage is a bit of a beauty blogger cliche, but it's a cliche for a very good reason! My collection was starting to get a bit out of hand, and I was sitting on the floor in the darkest corner of my bedroom when I was putting my makeup on so it was time for a change...

As much as I love my clear Muji draws, I love having the large draw in the Malm dresser to hide away some more of my unused makeup and keep things looking a bit tidier. 

Yes, I'm sorry, but I own One Direction One Moment. Before you hate me, just go and smell it's deliciousness! I love displaying perfume bottles on a dressing table - it's like having very useful ornaments!

My brush collection is mainly made up of Real Techniques, Sigma and Elf, and I found these pen holders in Ryman and Wilkonsons to store them all in. 

I display all my favourite lipsticks in holders like this from TK Maxx. I have another three of these further along. Yes I have a problem (see below).

So because 4 acrylic lipstick holders just isn't enough, I have an overflow box in my large draw….

And then a dedicated three draws to the glosses/ stains/ creams/ balms etc etc etc. Can anyone say lipstick addict??

I'm so happy with my new makeup corner and all of my storage….I highly recommend the the Malm dresser if you have the space for it. And even if you don't, a set of the Muji draws is a perfect way to keep makeup organised and cleanly displayed. 

How does everyone else store their makeup?

Loves

xxx

Spring Empties….

It's pretty much Summer now, right? Here's a bunch of products I used up throughout the Spring (some of these have been ongoing for quite a while!)….. and a couple of thought's on my loves and hates!

I've actually dyed my hair twice this spring, but Berry Red from the Casting Creme Gloss range has been my favourite and I'll be going back to this one next time for sure. The L'Oreal Mythic Oil is my forever holy-grail favourite… this is my second bottle of this and I've already started number 3!

Collection Lasting Perfection concealer…say no more. Love this, and I have 3 back ups ready and waiting for me. I used to love the Bobby Brown corrector for under my eyes but my Body Shop Illuminating pen in shade 1 has overtaken this as my favourite and it's a lot less likely to settle into the fine lines around the eyes.  

My Clean & Clear deep action face wash is a staple in my skincare routine and I'm already half way through my back up! I also really enjoyed the Soap and Glory Scrub Your Nose In It scrub and can see me purchasing this one down the line somewhere. Now I've heard a LOT about the REN skincare line and was excited to have the day cream to test out. You can imagine my disappointment when I hated it with a passion. I found it sticky and the smell was just unbearable. Not a winner, sorry REN!

I can't even begin to talk about how sad I am to have finished the D&G 10 perfume because it's discontinued and will always be known as 'my scent'. I have one bottle left and is getting seriously rationed! Another holy grail product that I actually haven't re-purchased yet (too many others to use up as you can imagine) is the Superdrug Vitamin E body cream. Such a bargain and sinks into the skin perfectly. 

I love reading empties posts because I think you get a really honest, true review of products so hope you guys enjoyed this!

Loves

xxx

My dresser and ever expanding lipstick collection....

Moving in with a boyfriend is tough. Add to the mix the fact he lives with two other boys, and you can start to picture how I live from day to day. My only sanctuary comes from my little bit of heaven my boyfriend allowed me....my chest of drawers. As an organisational OCD wierdo I'm still re-arranging and organising everything but I'm quite happy with how they look so far...

 

 

 

I may have purchased one or two *cough* new lipsticks since these pictures were taken too....ooops!

Loves

xxx

My Perfume Collection...

OK so that title is a little lie. Half of my perfumes are, of course, back home in the UK, so this is just the few perfumes I've collected while I've been over in Australia. Now it's not a huge great big fancy collection, but I'm excited to show it off because I LOVE every single one of them. Oh and if you're expecting a fancy review of the 'notes' then you'll be severely disappointing. I know nothing about foundations further than 'Ooooo that smells nice'.

(left to right) Vera Wang Rock Princess, Vera Wang Lovestruck, Givenchy Play, Vera Wang Princess, Nicki Minaj Pink Friday

Vera Wang Rock Princess: probably my least favorite of my collection - not to say I don't like it but the smell doesn't really stick around too long, and it's not really one of those 'distinctive' scents that someone walking past would recognize, but it is a very nice day to day perfume.

Vera Wang Lovestruck: Well first of all, hello pretty, gorgeous, amazingly impractical bottle. OK so I know it's not really a throw in your handbag sort of perfume bottle but luckily the scent sticks around for a while, only a few sprays and you're set for the day. It's a grown up floral smell without being too girly, and I'd say there will be a repeat purchase as soon as this bottle is finished. 

Givenchy Play: now I never actually chose this one myself, it was a present from my boyfriend when he came back from overseas. It is STRONG, in a good way, but you really only need two sprays to last you the entire day. It's got a bit of a musky scent but still stays on the side of the summer perfume fence. Unfortunately this is rapidly running out but it has lasted a good while.

Vera Wang Princess: yes you can see a theme appearing here, I am a bit in love with Vera Wang perfumes. This one is, for want of a better phrase, possible a 'signature scent' of mine. I used to wear it back in the UK and just had to re-purchase it over here, for no other reason than I love it and it reminds me from home. Sentimental yes, worth the fairly hefty price tag? Also yes. 

Nicki Minaj Pink Friday: This one is the latest in the collection, again a gift from the boyfriend, and there's pretty much only two things I need to mention here. Number one is the awesomely incredible bottle, the second is that it smells EXACTLY like Viva La Juicy. As I said I'm no perfume expert but jeez I feel like she's just emptied a bottle of the Juicy Couture perfume into her own, fancier bottle. This isn't a complaint; Viva La Juicy is one of my all time favorite perfumes and is quite hard to get hold of over here, but yeah....crazy dupe alert!

Loves

xxx

Top products of 2011....

Well as my blog is still a baby and less than a year old, I've spent a lot of the past 10 months discovering lots of new things so here's what I recon come top of the 2011 class (warning: it's a biggie!)


Haircare: KMS California came in one of this years Glossybox's and has turned into my go-to product for putting through the ends of my (towel dried) hair to not only help protect it from heated appliances but to help lock in colour. Batiste XXL Volume needs no other introduction other than to say I LOVE this and were I to (painstakingly) put the entire contents of this blog into some sort of order, it would probably come out top! And lastly my good old tangle teezer: not just a normal hair brush!

Skincare: This moisturiser has been one of my products of the last few years but I'm still in a long term relationship with it therefore I though I'd better include it. No other moisturiser has touched my skin for the past 12 months. The Body Shop night cream has been a revelation after switching from an all purpose moisturiser to a separate one for day and night. Oh and as for a little extra in my skin care - Soap and Glory Scrub Your Nose In It. I challenge you to find a better drug store exfoliater! 

Makeup: I'll try and keep this simple as there are SO many. For face it has to be the Benefit Porefessional along with the Revlon Photo Ready foundation, my bobby brown corrector and the Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer. I've loved Topshops bronzer in global for most of the year, and been blushing with the aid of Vivo blush (not sure on the colour) and MeMeMe in coral throughout the summer months. My favourite eye products of the year have to be HD brows thanks (again) to GlossyBox, Bourjois Volumizer mascara and the Maybelline gel eyeliner pot. Lips is a tough one but it has to be the Lush lip scrub which has been a life saver, along with my Mac lipstick in Saint Germain and Topshop lipstick in Brighton Rock. I've only just started getting into brushes, but my favourite are the stippling brush and powder brush from the Samantha Chapman Real Techniques range, and my Mac 217. 

Perfume: My signature scent has continued to be Burberry, but I'd say my ultimate perfume of the year has to be D&G 10. 

What has everyone else loved in the year of 2011? Have any of these products made your top lists?

Loves

xxx