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Showing posts with label soap and glory. Show all posts
Showing posts with label soap and glory. Show all posts
Topshop Sleeveless Peter Pan Blouse

About forever and a day ago, I took a trip to Harrogate with Shannon. She's probably the worst person to go shopping with because if I am debating on buying something, she'll respond with, 'Get it!!!!' which is always helpful when you're on an almost-constant spending ban. Despite me ignoring her and instead listening to my willpower, I still caved and bought a few bits and bobs. I'm still Saffron, after all...


H&M Knitwear - £7.99

Soap & Glory Crazy Sexy Kohl - £7 (on sale - RRP £14)


Batiste Medium & Brunette Dry Shampoo x2 - £3.99 each
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in No1 Fair - £4.19
Natural Collection Solo Eyeshadow in Willow & Butterscotch - £1.99 each
Bourjois Happy Light Matte Serum Primer - £8.99 (on offer - RRP £10.99)
Boots Baby Moisturising Bath 500ml - £1.50

I did pretty well for once, actually getting things I needed and only one or two (or five...) things that I didn't. I think that's a cause for celebration! More shopping, anyone?


Have you been shopping lately?

"The awful wrongs and sufferings forced upon the innocent, helpless, faithful animal race, form the blackest chapter in the whole world's history." - Edward Freeman 
♥

So this is my first ever empties post and I've been meaning to do one for aaages. My main concern is that I don't finish enough products to do one, but it wasn't until I started putting all my empties in a box for this post did I realise that I actually do! Me being me wrote this a little late, mainly because I had other posts planned but I've finally got around to it. Now I can't remember which order they were used up in so I'll just do them at random.


Lee Stafford Hair Growth Shampoo & Conditioner
By far my favourite shampoo and conditioner, ever. This stuff is absolutely fabulous and I can see myself using it for years to come. If you're a regular reader of my blog, you may know that I'm a huge fan of Lee Stafford's hair care and styling range, I can't get enough! I rave about his products to anyone that'll listen, they're the best and I ain't just saying that. I go through these two products so quickly though because my hair is so long and I have so much of it, and as the products aren't exactly cheap my mum kindly gets them for me (hi mum!) as I can't afford them myself. Sigh.



The Body Shop Earth Lovers Apricot & Basil 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel
A friend of my mum's bought me a bunch of these Earth Lovers shower gels a couple years ago in different scents for my birthday and I just got around to using them, and I must say, they smell soooooo good. You wouldn't think that apricot and basil would work, but it really does. It's hard to explain the scent but it smells a little like them fruit salad chewy sweets. Consistency-wise, it's not as thick as average shower gels, it's actually pretty watery. But because I use all shower gels with one of them scrunchy, net-like thingymajigys (I am so good at explaining stuff) it doesn't bother me, although I have noticed that this one has lathered more than average shower gels. I would've happily bought it again if they hadn't have been discontinued *sad face*.




Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic
Ah, Liz Earle. My favourite skincare brand by far. This is the first tonic that I haven't found to make my skin drying or tight, which just shows how good it is for my skin. It leaves my skin silky-soft and it smells so clean and slightly floral...a bit like a meadow on an early morning in spring, but not overpowering. The perfect toner for all skin types!



Urban Decay De-Slick Makeup Setting Spray
This is the kind of product that I love, but would prefer to find a cheaper alternative to. It's good n'all, and I have bought a replacement, but at £20 for 118ml, I'm debating whether it's worth it. It makes my make-up look more 'skin like' after I've applied powder and the bottle lasts ages, which are both a plus but it just doesn't seem to keep oil at bay as much as I would like it to. I'm gonna search around for a cheaper alternative to compare it to, as I feel for the price it should have a lot more going for it.



No7 Stay Perfect Smoothing & Brightening Eye Base
I do like this product, and I could see myself buying it again as it keeps my eyeshadow in place, but it creases. It's annoying because I find it so much easier to use than Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion, and to be honest creasing doesn't actually bother me that much but it is £7 for a little pot so if I needed a cheap(ish) eye base, I'd probably go for this one.




Soap & Glory Trick & Treatment Concealer
I got this about 4 years ago and only just found it again, and no, I didn't use it...not after I'd smelt it anyway. I used to absolutely adore this concealer, I'm so annoyed at myself for letting it go off as I used to swear by it. I can't remember if it's actually as good as I thought it was, but I'll definitely be buying it again! I know it's not empty but I was gonna throw it away anyway and wanted to share that with you all because I'm strange.



I'm gonna start doing empties posts more if you guys are interested in them, as I quite enjoyed going through the stuff I've used up. Plus, I'm trying harder to use up older products before new ones, and this is a good incentive to help me!


What have you used up recently?
♥
I often get asked my favourite skincare products from many different people. Now, I'm all for telling you guys, as it is my job as a beauty blogger after all, but sometimes I can't help but wonder that what if you have dry skin, and your copying my skincare regime and then surprised when it's making your skin worse. I don't want do that! So instead, I've written this 'guide' if you will, to help you understand your skin type and discover the products that will make it look - and feel - fabulous.

First of all, I have oily, acne-prone skin. It sucks. A lot. I've been to the doctors about it, been put on antibiotics which made me very ill, a cream that brought me out in a rash so bad that I was 99% sure my face was on fire and then of course, I tried it my own way with various lotions and potions that promised the world to no avail.

In this post I'm gonna help you discover your skin type and how to care for it. I'm not a dermatologist and don't have any professional knowledge in the field, but I'm going to tell you what I know from experience and compile as much as I can from the internet. I've tried to include many skincare essentials like toners, moisturisers and scrubs, but I've also added masks, oils and facial peels as I thought that it would be good to recommend products that you may have never tried before but may work wonders on your skin! Also, I tried to aim for different budgets, whether they be little or big. Please note that skincare products usually are fairly pricey, but often that is the case for the more promising products.

The one thing that I will recommend to all skin types is Liz Earle's Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser (£13.25 for 100ml pump). It's brilliant, and when teamed with the muslin cloth it gives gentle daily exfoliation. To be honest, I've used countless LE products and not one of them has disappointed, it's by far my favourite skin care brand, and although there are plenty of LE recommendations below, I've included other brands' popular products too.

Sensitive

Your skin can react easily to products. They may bring you out in a rash, cause flaky skin or general inflammation. All skin types can have this.

Now, I haven't compiled a list of products for sensitive skin. Instead, I labelled the products for each of the skin types if they were suitable for sensitive skin. That way, if you're combination-sensitive, for example, you know which products you would be able to use. If that makes sense...


Normal

You're the luckiest of them all, obviously. You have no 'extreme' signs like the others but your skin can sometimes feel tight and your t-zone a little shiny. Generally you have no problems with your skin. Just because you have good skin doesn't mean you shouldn't look after it though!




- philosophy the microdelivery peel in-home vitamin c/peptide peel (2pc) - £59 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Liz Earle Gentle Face Exfoliator (70ml) - £14
- Trilogy Very Gentle Calming Serum (30ml) - £28.50 (suitable for sensitive skin)

Oily

Your skin is shiny all over and are prone to breakouts, more-so on the t-zone but can get them anywhere. Also likely to have large pores and blackheads.

- Nose pore strips. Now these are pretty amazing, they get out all the dirt and gunk (cute) outta your nose, leaving it clean and less-prone to blackheads. The only thing about the strips is that you should never over-use them otherwise you can be left with massive pores. Not a good look. I generally use them once a fortnight, or longer if my nose is looking blackhead-free. I use Marks & Spencer's Nose Pore Strips (£3 for a pack of 6). On the back of the box it says you're meant to use them twice a week but DON'T. Three days doesn't allow enough time for your skin to rejuvenate, and that's how you can end up with large pores. Always make sure you moisturise after using them, too.
- Don't do what I used to do and strip your face of oil by just applying toner and leaving it. It makes your oil levels sky-rocket as your skin detects that there is none there. Therefore, you end up with even oilier skin, which means whenever you apply a toner, always apply moisturiser afterwards.




- Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Face Scrub (150ml) - £3.79
- The Body Shop Seaweed Day Cream (50ml) - £10
- Molton Brown Pink Toronja Refining Toner (200ml) - £25
- Montagne Jeunesse Shine Control Face Mask (sachet) - £1.49
- philosophy when hope is not enough hydrating antioxidant serum (30ml) - £34 (suitable for sensitive skin)

Combination

Similar to normal, but more extreme. Your skin can be tight and flaky but around your t-zone it's fairly oily. You're prone to breakouts, too.

- With combination skin, you have to be careful. You can't use products for oily skin, as it dries out the outer half of your face, and you can't use products for dry skin, as it puts your oil production on your t-zone into overdrive. It's like you're fighting a losing battle. That's why you always need to go for products specially designed for combination skin. There are loads, I promise.




(I know a lot of you will be wondering why I recommended aftersun. Basically, when my skin gets a little dry, I use the Soltan Aftersun and it works wonders. Plus, the aloe vera in it helps clear spots. It's amazing, and well worth a try for the price!)

- Boots Soltan Aftersun Hydrating Lotion (400ml) - £8 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Montagne Jeunesse Strawberry Souffle Face Mask (sachet) - £1 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+ (30ml) - £26.50
- Soap & Glory The Fab Pore 2-in-1 Facial Pore Purifying Mask & Peel (50ml) - £10
- Trilogy Hydrating Mist Toner (100ml) - £17.50

Dry

Your skin often feels tight and can be flaky. It's likely that your pores are on the smaller side, too.

- Moisturise. Moisturise. Moisturise. I can't stress this enough. Being lazy on a night-time and not using any can mean that you wake up with skin that feels tight and possibly painful. It's not worth it! Get into a routine of washing your face, using toner and then applying moisturiser.
- If you have especially dry skin, try a facial oil, like the philosophy one recommended below. They not only put moisture back into the skin but they also plump the skin out, helping to smooth fine lines and wrinkles. They're sometimes dubbed miracle-workers, and it makes sense why...




- philosophy when hope is not enough omega 3.6.9 replenishing oil (0.85oz) - £34 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- No7 Total Renewal Micro-dermabrasion Face Exfoliator (75ml) - £11 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- The Body Shop Hemp Face Protector (50ml) - £8 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Liz Earle Intensive Nourishing Treatment Mask (50ml) - £14 (suitable for sensitive skin)
- Molton Brown Tamarind Fruit Refining Toner (200ml) - £25


What's your skin type?
~requested~
♥
You may or may not know that it was Christmas Day a couple weeks back. The 25th of December to be precise. And on that day, to celebrate the birth of baby Jesus, we give our friends and family gifts and I thought it would be a good idea to share mine with you all, because I love you guys ;)

*disclaimer* I'm not doing this to show off, I love reading these posts and I know many others who enjoy them too. Therefore, if you write any negative comments they will be ignored (ooooh, get me trying to be all mean hehe). But seriously, I am a very lucky girl and I am aware of it so please be nice :)


I'm not going to list everything I got so I'm just going to mention the big stuff, but I got lots of little things like lip balms, fluffy socks and money!


My 'main' present was a Canon EOS 600D with a Canon camera bag which I'm so unbelievably happy to have because that means better quality photos for my blog and maybe even the start of a YouTube channel... haha we'll have to see!


I got some beauty and bath products (Ted Baker the Great and the Gorgeous, Soap & Glory's Relax Station, the Body Shop Mango Butter Up duo and Ted Baker Holy Smoke) which I was obviously chuffed about, especially when they were from three of my fave brands!


I'd been needing a new dressing gown for a while, so I asked my Gran for B by Ted Baker's moleskin long robe in Dark Purple and she came up trumps! Mum & Dad got me some Hello Kitty pyjamas as well, which are the comfiest pyjamas ever might I add...


As you have to at Christmas, I got plenty of chocolate. This included Heroes, Celebrations, and my all-time favourites - Ferrero Rochers. Ah, Ferrero Rochers... *attacks box*


Last but not least, I got a pair of Pandora Silver Aquamarine March Birthstone Stud Earrings, a white wood letter sorter (that i'm using as a makeup palette holder), giant sheep slipper and matching gadget holder, Very British Problems book, Hunter welly socks and finally a Jack Wills Tinsbury Cable Crew in Linen.


What did you get for Christmas?
♥
Around Christmas time Boots always chuck a bunch of vouchers (not literally) at their Advantage Card holders and therefore I decided to pop along to Boots in Leeds City Centre and cash a few in!

I know this isn't really post related, but I found my camera earlier and I got all over-excited because now you're getting 10 mega-pixels (omg amaze) worth of image quality, WAHOO!



Eau De Soap & Glory Formula 2 Perfume Spray - £16.50
If you've read my (first-ever!) post on my top 5 perfumes you'd know that I adore this perfume - it came in at No5 and has always been one of my faves. So when I got a Soap & Glory points voucher I thought 'what the hell' and bought a bottle seen as my other one ran out about a year ago and I missed it.



Barry M Lip Liner in 3 - £2.95 (got mine free)
I only have 5 lipliners, three of which are very similar nude coral shades and the other two are dark pinks. Apart from nude coral lipsticks, my most popular used lipsticks are red. Therefore, I needed a red lipliner and Barry M came to the rescue!



Natural Collection Pressed Powder in Cool x3 - £1.99 each (got two free)
Ah Natural Collection, a brand that I find is seriously underestimated. I adore their pressed powders and at £1.99 they're worth a try. I originally put six in my basket but my friend said that I looked ridiculous and would be better off getting other products - harsh, but right.



Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks (L-R) in Pink Cloud & Sweet Cheeks - £1.99 each
Because i'm a huge fan of their powders I thought i'd give their blushers a go, and bought one in Pink Cloud and one in Sweet Cheeks. I hope they impress!



Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair 1 - £4.19
I have heard almost every beauty blogger rave about this concealer to the moon and back. I'm a huge fan of Zoe Sugg's (Zoella) and she can't stop going on about it, so I decided to get it and see what all the fuss was about! P.S. ignore the smudged packaging - it's well loved hehe.



Boots Botanicals Moisturising Gloves - £4
Because I work in a hair salon I have dermatitis which flares up the most during these colder months. I've always hated putting the cream on my hands at night because it's pretty oily and didn't want my hair to get greasy, and I used to wear normal gloves but they made my hands itchy and come out in heat rashes - not cute. Therefore, I decided to grab some of these gloves that are specifically designed to wear over moisturiser. Baby soft hands here I come!



Natural Collection Lip Lines in Mulberry - £1.99
Due to there being a 3 for 2 on I needed (yes, needed) to get something around the £2 mark to make it work out evenly and what not. As I told you before that I was lacking lip liners, I thought i'd visit Natural Collection again and bag this deep pink shade. I kinda wished i'd got a different shade now but for £1.99 I can't really complain.



Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Exfoliating Face Scrub - £3.79
I got another points voucher but this time it was for the Boots Tea Tree & Witch Hazel range. I'd used this scrub before and I wouldn't scream and shout about it but I can't say much bad about it either, so I got another one haha!



Collection Extreme 24 Hour Felt Tip Liner in 1 Black - £2.99
I'm a huge fan of felt tip liners because I find liquid eyeliner too tricky and pencil eyeliner seems to tug too much and not give me the finish I desire. I already own one by No7 but have always been unsure of it and thought I might as well compare it to this one!

Have you been to Boots recently?
♥
Now that Autumn is finally upon us and Summer feels like months ago, I thought I'd treat you guys to an Autumn & Winter favourites post, so I can tell you guys what I adore during these colder and darker, yet more beautiful months. I also thought it would be ever so nice of me to do both cheap and premium alternatives, so anyone on any budget would be able to enjoy the same stuff as me!

First up, is skin/bodycare because we need to look after our skin even more during these cold months!

Lip Scrub 
Cheap: my D.I.Y. Lemon Lip Scrub (post coming soon!)
Premium: Lush Lip Scrub in Mint Julips (smells like After Eights which are a Christmas staple) - £5.50



Hand Cream
Cheap: Soap & Glory Hand Food - £5 (125ml)
Premium: the Body Shop Hemp Hand Protector - £10 (100ml)



Body Scrub 
Cheap: Ted Baker Butterfly Wings Body Scrub - £6.50 (300ml)
Premium: Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub (this stuff smells phemomenal but doesn't taste too good though...) - £8 (300ml)



Body Butter (because lotion just won't do)
Cheap: Soap & Glory the Righteous Butter - £10.50 (300ml)
Premium: the Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter - £13 (200ml)



Bubble Bath (indulging in a hot bubble bath when it's cold outside, ahhh) 
Cheap: Soap & Glory Calm One Calm All Bubble Bath - £6 (500ml) 
Premium: Boux Avenue Pink Taffeta Bubble Bath - £10 (300ml) 


Next, makeup!

I find that I reach for burgundy and bright red lip products and rosy blushers more during this time of year 'cause one, I'm paler so it complements my skin tone, plus it matches the fallen leaves and Christmas decorations...ahh Christmas<3 



Lipstick
Cheap: Barry M Lip Paint in 162 - £4.49 & Barry M Lip Lacquer Crayon in No2 - £4.99
Premium: Illamasqua Lipstick in Ignite, Sangers & Encounter (I'm a big fan, can you tell?) - £16.50



Lipgloss
Cheap: Bourjois La Creme Des Levres Lip Cream in 05 Rosé Moelleux - 99p starting price at my ebay
Premium: Illamasqua Intense Lipgloss in Follow - £14.50



Lip Balm
Cheap: The Body Shop Christmas Edition Lip Balms in Spiced Vanilla, Cranberry Joy and Candied Ginger - discontinued sadly :( but, they do have new versions, Cranberry being the one that I purchased but still have to critique
Premium: Balmi Lip Balm in Mint - £4.99



Blusher
Cheap: Sleek Blush in Rose Gold from the Contouring and Blush Palette in Light - £4.49 (£9.99 for palette)
Premium: No7 Natural Blush in 12 Coral Flush - £8


As for eyes, it's all about purple, grey, gold and dark caramel as they are always big this time of year. Think rich hues with golden shimmers or alternatively colours that don't stray from your skin colour, as the no-make-up-make-up look is huuuuuge this season!



Cheap: Bourjois Little Round Pot Eyeshadow in (from left to right) 72 Violet Absolu, 12 Bleu Magnetique, 55 Bleu Myosotis, 90 Blanc Diaphane, 93 Tabac Blond & 05 Brun Irreel - 99p starting price at my ebay



Premium: Urban Decay Naked (£36), Naked2(also £36), Naked Basics(£20), Glinda & Theodora Great and Powerful Oz palettes(£35 each) and also Melt and Rock, that I got in my BYOP's (£14 each). What can I say - Urban Decay eyeshadows will always make the top of my lists! Also Illamasqua Liquid Metal in Electrum (£17.50) which not only makes a great eye primer but also a fabulous eyeliner, it's so creamy and pigmented!


Subscribe to my blog so you can be notified when the sister post, Autumn & Winter Fashion comes out, plus it'll put a big smile on my face! 

What are your Autumn & Winter favourites?

♥