March Empties

This is the sixth Empties post I've done since I started doing them last September. I'm surprised that I've used up so much products during the past six months. I enjoy reading other bloggers empties posts as this is a great way to find good products. In my opinion favourites can change all the time, if you finish a product it means you either really loved it or you couldn't wait to get rid of it. I've finished seven products throughout March, I've gone through a mixture this month.

I adore Lush's Snow Fairy and It's Raining Men shower gel and use them all the time. A bit more than a month ago, I went into my local store and wanted to try something different. After my boyfriend and I sniffed all the shower gels, he suggested Happy Hippy as it was in his opinion the nicest one in the shop. I bought the smallest bottle as I am very picky when it comes to shower gels. I loved this so much, it has a gorgeous citrus scent. In the mornings it really wakes me up as it's so fresh. This bottle doesn't last long but would be ideal for travelling.

I repurchase this product all the time, I'm sure you've seen it in alot of my past empties post. It removes my eye makeup brilliantly, I think it's around the €4 mark so not too pricey. I wish this came in a bigger bottle as I fly through it so quickly. I think it's a thousand times better than their 2 in 1 Eye Makeup Remover which I hated and didn't get on with at all. Looking back on my empties post this eye makeup remover has nearly been in them all so I may leave it out of next months one.

I had some trouble with my hair this month. I used a haircare product that made my scalp flare up and it ended up really flaky. I was given this sample of The Body Shop's Ginger Anti Dandruff shampoo and it soothed my scalp and left my hair with no dandruff in sight. I was so impressed by this sample I actually went back and purchased a full sized bottle. I'm going to include this in my March Favourites for sure so if you want to read more about it check back soon.

I have oily skin so needless to say it was a mistake to buy a night cream for Normal/Dry skin. It didn't cause my skin any trouble but it won't be something I will be repurchasing again. This is a part of No7's skincare range that got a revamp so I'm not too sure if this is still available to buy.

I got these makeup wipes in a Christmas set and I've only got around to using them now. Like all Soap & Glory products I love the smell of these. They didn't particularly blow me away to be honest, for the price they wouldn't be something I'd buy anytime soon. These wipes have a shelf life of three months which is a really short amount of time, don't you think? I'll be sticking with my No7 Beautiful Skin wipes.

I'm forever removing my nail polish, sometimes for work or just for a change of colour. I got these Quickies Nail Polish Remover pads in Boots that contains twenty round pads, I'm pretty sure you can get square pads aswell. I went through these pretty quickly as I usually use up to four pads to remove all my nail polish. I'll probably go for the square pads the next time I purchase these as I may not use them up as fast.

I always carry one of these around with me in my bag. They are regularly on promotion in Boots so I purchase a couple at a time. Into Glamour has a nice light scent but both Tease and Goddess are still my favourite Impulse body sprays.

What products have you finished in March? Would you like to see a review on any of the products mentioned?

Laura<3

Korres Lip Butters

At the moment I really enjoy using Korres lip butters. I get horribly dry lips pretty much all the time, I blame the air conditioning in work. I'm always looking for new lip products that keep my lips moisturised aswell as looking nice. Korres lip butters tick both boxes as they are super hydrating and come in numerous different shades, seven to be exact. I own two of them, Pomegranate* and Plum.

 Both are shades I love, one is a gorgeous coral/red whilst the other is almost a dark berry in my opinion. I think these will be great during the Summer months as a change from lipsticks as they do give a great colour payoff. My favourite lip butter out of the two I own is Pomegranate, for someone  like me who doesn't rock the bright lip too well this is a perfect choice. I added in a picture below so you could see it in action.

For people who don't like lip butters in pots, these are also available in tubes which feature somewhat similar shades. In regards to the tubes, I'm not how sure good the colour pay off is with them but if there anything like these they'll be good. I already have my eye on another lip butter from the range, Jasmine that looks beautiful. It's a pinky nude shade which I usually tend to go for but understandably it's not for everyone. At €8.50, these sound quite expensive but I've had mine for ages and as you can see I still have lots to use up. In Dublin, there aren't too many shops that sell Korres products, two come to mind Harvey Nichols and House of Fraser. If you are looking for a new lip product for your makeup bag, I'd highly recommend them.

Have you tried Korres Lip Butters?

Laura<3

*PR Sample

St Tropez Press Event

On Tuesday I headed along to the St Tropez Press event that was held in the Beauty Bootcamp in town. Another location I got lost on the way to but as always I found it in the end. The event showcased the new St Tropez Dark range aswell as upcoming products launches from Yes To Carrot, OPI and more.

St Tropez Ambassador and Tanning Expert Nichola Joss was on hand to tell us all about their new range of products. She told us how it was going to be all about dark tans this Summer When I first hear the words "dark tan" in the one sentence I automatically think Oompa Loompa. I needn't of worried though when Nichola put some of the St Tropez Wash Off Dark Mousse on my arm it gave such gorgeous glow that looks so natural. The product itself matches to your skin giving you the perfect tan. I can definitely see myself buying this as I love how it's also wash off tan. While I was chatting to Nichola she told me that her favourite product from the range right now is the St Tropez Wash off Dark Mousse, and that applying it with a mitt is essential to getting a perfect even tan.

Yes To Carrot has undergone a bit of a facelift recently, the result is this gorgeous new packaging. I was told that they wanted to try something new as their packaging hadn't changed since the brand first launched five years ago, so it had become a bit dated. My lovely Nanna is a big fan of their range especially their night cream, she swears by it. The latest product to hit the shelves is the Yes To Carrot Intense Softening Body Lotion for Extra Dry Skin. I wouldn't say I have extremely dry skin but I do get patches of psoriasis on my arms and legs now and again. I tried a bit of this on my hand at the event, I was expecting it to be extremely heavy on my skin but it actually melted in really fast leaving my skin lovely and soft.

Finally Nicole By OPI nail polishes are arriving on our shores. I've seen these on a number of American blogs and I was thrilled when they said they were now going to be available to buy here on the island. I can see the Kardashian Kolor Collection being a great hit here. I got my nails done with two polishs from the Justin Bieber Collection. You can check out my NOTD featuring the two polishes here.

Sanctuary is a brand I haven't tried too much products from, I've used there Pore Refining Toner a while back which I got on with very well. They are another brand to launch their own BB cream. I have yet to try one I just haven't got stuck into to the hype surrounding them which is weird cause I usually do with products. I may give the BB offering from Sanctuary a go when it hits shelves as it contains a ingredient silica which absorbs oils. Alot of BB creams I've swatched on my hand looked very greasy but when I swatched this one it had quite a different feel.

Last but not least we were shown a selection of the Just Lashes by Jaa'Mal Buster. I'm not one to wear false lashes myself as I have pretty long eyelashes as it is and I'm honestly hopeless at applying them. If you haven't heard of Jaa'Mal Buster (like I hadn't), he is lash guru to stars including Rihanna and Beyonce, so if there good enough for them there good enough for me. In shops they are €6.95 which isn't bad for these gorgeous lashes. There are five different sets to choose from, the Bold & Beautiful lashes reallly caught my eye, but I don't know if I'd pull them off without looking like a drag queen.

As I was leaving I was given a goodie bag which included these lovely products above. Check back as there will be reviews coming up soon!

Laura<3

Smashbox Exclusive To Arnotts + Haul

After work during the week I sauntered into House of Fraser, I past the Smashbox counter and it was like heaven, lots of products (including palettes) were half price. I was informed that the brand going forward is going to be exclusive to Arnotts. I'm not 100% certain if the counter in House of Fraser is the only one having a sale on products. It's worth having a look in Debenhams and Clerys as there was so much amazing product reductions in Dundrum. In my opinion, Smashbox has always been quite an expensive brand, so I haven't tried too many of their products. I did buy one of their makeup sets when I first started blogging and I loved it.

Of course I couldn't pass up such a good offer so I picked up a few bits.

The first item I spotted was the Smashbox Eye Illusion Quad, basically you can use this alone or on top of eyeshadows to create a different effect. I don't think I'd use these alone but I'll be certainly using them along with a eyeshadow. A few other companies have different versions of this product but I've just never gotten around to trying one. Marked down from €30 to €15, I decided to give this a go, hopefully I like it.

Next up I bought two of their eyeshadows in Cinnamon Toast (love that name) and Envy. Cinnamon Toast is a gorgeous copper brown shade, while the latter is an amazing black shade full of glitter. I don't own many black eyeshadows bar the two in the Naked palettes so I'm glad I bought this. I know this eyeshadow may not be for everybody but I love it. They were such good value at €9 a pop. If you want to see swatches of both these eyeshadow let me know.

I'm a fool for mascaras, so it was no surprise here. Previously I never saw much talk about the Bionic Mascara (€10) online but the reviews I've managed to find seem quite mixed. Some people love it while others dislike it. I'm looking forward to trying it for myself.

Last but not least is Smashbox's Anti Shine (€13) which is actually the first product I spotted. This is a oil absorber which is said to reduce shine. I'm hoping this makes a good base for my foundation.

Have you tried any of these products? Are they good choices?

Laura<3

NOTD - Nicole By OPI My Lifesaver & Make U Smile

This post is a bit delayed but I thought better late than never. I attended an event on Tuesday (post soon) were they showcased alot of lovely new products that are going to hit the shelves soon. Nicole by OPI was one of the brands I was excited about seeing, all their polishes looked beautiful. I'm going to try and pick up a few soon if I can get my hands on them I can see them flying out of the shops.

At the event I got my nails done with two polishes from Nicole By OPI's Justin Bieber Collection. I cringe to say this but I do like Justin Bieber just a little. I saw him in concert nearly three years ago, when he was somewhat of nobody (to me anyway) supporting Taylor Swift. Crazy to seeing how big he is now, the man has his own line of polishes.

My Lifesaver is a gorgeous turquoise perfect for Spring, while Make U Smile is a topcoat with huge chunks of glitter. When I saw it I fell in love it's so lovely.

Aren't they so pretty together? I think they were made for each other.  I have got so many compliments on my nails in work the past two days. Everyone really liked them. I haven't taken this polish off yet and to be honest I don't really need to. This nail polish wears really well and hasn't chipped at all, even after two full days of work which is great.

What Nicole By OPI polishes have you tried?

Laura<3

Take It or Leave It - The Body Shop Chocomania Range

When I first read about The Body Shop's Chocomania range in a magazine, I couldn't wait to go out and buy some products from it. I was pretty surprised when I got everything from the range for my birthday off my Mom. I've come to the conclusion that she heard me talk about the stuff so much she knew  it would make a great present. I've used all these products alot now as I've had them for quite a while. Of course I've liked some things more than others so that's why I've decided to do a Take It or Leave it post. This is basically going to show you what products I think are worth spending your money on, and the others that I think are better to leave.

Take It

This is my favourite product from the entire range as you can see I've used quite a bit. This lotion is light and extremely moisturising which I love. I prefer this over the body butter which I will talk about a bit later. I've been using this alot during the day, it immediately melts into my skin without leaving it greasy/sticky.  During the day, I don't think the scent is that stronge that people may think you smell like a Chocolate muffin or anything.

I love these teeny tiny soap, aren't they so cute? I think the price is quite reasonable, so I definitely will be repurchasing them.The soaps contain little bits of coconut shell (fancy) so they make a great exfoliator too. My skin is left so soft after using these, they do have quite a soapy (less chocolate) scent, but I can get over that cause I love them. As I mentioned, the soaps are small but I found they lasted for a while. 

My last Take It product is the scrub. This is the first product I smelt from the range and I fell in love with it. The scrub has the strongest chocolate scent from the whole range. Let's be honest here, it doesn't look the nicest in the tub but it gets the job done and leaves my skin feeling lovely and smooth.The scrub contains very small granules so I also find it very gentle.

Leave It

This is my least favourite product from the collection. I absolutely love The Body's Shop lip butters in general, there so moisturising (this one is no different). I just don't like the smell or taste of this on my lips it's quite off putting in my opinion. Alot of people I've talked to have liked this lip butter but it's just not for me.

As you can see I've used alot of this shower gel already. It has the same lovely scent as the rest of the Chocomania range. I doubt I'll be repurchasing this again though, when I'm using it in the shower I find it's not easy to dispense at all and comes out bitty. Maybe it's a packaging issue who knows.

I like this product, but if I had to choose between this and the body lotion, I'd get the lotion again. I found this took a while to melt into my skin leaving it feeling rather greasy. I apply this product to my skin before bed as I won't be in a rush waiting for it to dry in. Other than that small issue, I have no other fault with the body butter but taking price into consideration, I'd go for the body lotion hands down.

Would you like to see more Take It or Leave It post?? What's your favourite Chocomania product?

Laura<3

March Magazine Freebies!

Three amazing gifts are included in Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire and Glamour this month. I enjoy getting products with magazines as it's a great way to decide for yourself what products you like before forking out money for them.

Here are the three magazine gifts I got...

Last but not least in Glamour, there are four Percy & Reed hair care products to choose from. I went for the Quite Franky Flawless Finishing Polish (100ml). This is a really generous sized product, so I can see this lasting ages as you only need to apply a pea-sized to your hair. I'm expecting really good things from this as I did a review on their No Fuss Fabulousness Dry Shampoo recently which I really liked. There's also a seperate beauty guide in the magazine this month which shows gorgeous products that were used to create red carpet looks.

There's four luxury Clinique gifts to choose from in Cosmopolitan. To be honest I'm not the biggest fan of this brand. I had a bad reaction to one of their products back in my school days. I chose the magazine with the Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. It's advertised towards people with oily skin so I'll see how it goes. I think the fact that this product can be used in different ways drew me towards it. I'll let you know how I get on with this.

Last but not least in Marie Claire, there's a full size Neal's Yard Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture cream for normal skin. This is a brand that I've heard great things about but never tried before. I'm looking forward to trying this moisturiser but bear in mind I do have oily skin, so I don't know if this will be right for me. 

What magazines have you picked up this month??

Laura<3

Vichy Loves Bloggers Event

Yesterday I was invited to the Vichy Loves Blogger event in Styne House. After getting lost a few times, I finally found my way to the event, early as always. The room was done up lovely, showing a selection of Vichy's skincare and their makeup.

 As I was a tad bit early, I got my skin health consultation done, where I was told I had combination (more on the oily side) skin. I was surprised to see my skins hydration level was 89%, with 75% being the normal amount. The VichyConsult Tool was able tell that the Normaderm and Aqualia range would be best suited for me. Isn't it crazy how much technology is coming on that a machine can you tell you this? Vichy has a big range of foundation, there's definitely something suitable for every skin type. The lovely Make Up artist on hand suggested that for oily skin I use the Dermablend and Normateint foundation. Normateint is said to give light, even coverage which is great for daytime, while Dermablend is a high coverage foundation. I was also told that the Dermablend Ultra Corrective Foundation Cream Stick is great for contouring, if you use one a shade or two darker.

After a little chat with some lovely bloggers, we all sat down to see a presentation about Vichy. I found this very interesting as it showed you all their products on a timeline, from when the brand was founded back in 1931 to present. Vichy has grown so much in eighty years. The two products that were much talked about at the event were the newly formulated Dermablend Corrective foundation which now gives 16 hour coverage and the Normaderm Anti-Imperfection Hydrating Care.

When the event was over, we were given skincare gift packs that were tailored made to suit our skin types.

I really enjoyed this event, it was so informative and I certainly learned alot more about the brand. I'm going to do a reviews on these products as soon as I've used them for a while. I'm really curious to see what the Dermablend Corrective Foundation is like as I've heard so much about it.

Laura<3