Monday 30 September 2013

Scrub a Dub Dub: Sanctuary Salt Scrub Review

                     

One thing I love about Sanctuary is that they do lots of travel size/ smaller versions of a lot of their products meaning you can try them out before splurging out on a full size that you might not like. Their salt scrub I have tried before in the past and a little while ago I picked up another sachet of it but it got a little pushed to the side... Until now! I pulled this little one out and used it in a mini pamper shower and was a little shocked!

When I first opened it up it filled the room with the lovely signature sanctuary scent and immediately made me feel pampered and relaxed. The scrub is quite dry and consists of Dead Sea salt which are fairly large in size and they are combined with a mixture of jojoba, sweet almond and coconut oil. The scrub is very harsh on the skin and suprisingly harsher than I remember and even a little sore on my recently more sensitive legs. 

However the harshness of the scrub does mean it is really great for a thorough full body exfoliation and increasing the circulation to the skin which can be seen from pink/ red skin but don't worry it is normal and goes down fairly quickly which did also happen with the sore feeling I felt. One thing I do love is that the scrub leaves a thin oil residue on the skin meaning it is super soft without even moisturising but I still would after using it to make sure any hydration lost from using it is packed back into the skin. 

They do retail the full size scrub here for and the sample size here which you could probably stretch out for two full body uses. Obviously this isn't the cheapest of scrubs out there but great for a treat and as a gift too, we'll that dreaded C word is on its way! But overall I do really like this, have you tried this or any of the other Sanctuary products? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Wednesday 25 September 2013

iWhite Teeth Whitening System Review



I picked this up a few weeks ago after having a little pop into Boots when I was picking some other things up, I had seen a post from another blogger that they had recently launched in the Uk and as it was was on offer for £19.99 in Boots at the time I thought I would give it a try.


The iWhite system comes with 5 sets of pre-filled trays with the whitening solution in meaning you could whiten both the top and bottom sets of teeth at the same time and there is minimal if any mess as it is all done for you. I was interested to see how the one size tray fits all as I don't have the most perfect top set of teeth from being a naughty thumb sucking child, at first I did have a little trouble with it not being high enough in my mouth but I soon learned I could pop my finger between the two trays to hold them in place and as they only take 20 minutes it wasn't too much trouble.


The box says you could use the trays every s often as your teeth needed them but for optimum results use all five trays for five days on the trot, I have never had over stained or yellow teeth as my main fluid is always water or green tea, exciting I know but luckily I'm just not a huge fan or fizzy drinks or coffee or anything like that. Below you can see the pictures I took from before I used them and everyday after I used them.

I did make a bit of a photo fail as they weren't all taken at the same time of day meaning the natural light that was around changed slightly meaning that some of the photos didn't come out as expected and a little of colour. However overall you can see and I can see in person that there is a difference in the colour although not shockingly different I'm not sure if this was because my teeth don't have a lot of staining so it is just my natural teeth colour or that the product doesn't work that well.






However if you we're thinking of trying out some teeth whitening products I would still recommend these as they are easy to use, created zero sensitivity and and pretty good value for money for some of the whitening systems you can find on the market today. Have you ever tried this brand and get results or any of the other brands, let me know I would love to hear from you. Thanks for stopping by,bye for now.x

Tuesday 24 September 2013

The Autumn Tag!



I spotted this tag on Make Up Savvy' blog earlier this week and as I love this time of year I thought I would have a go and answer all the questions for you and I tag all of you reading this to have a go too!

1. What is your favourite thing about Autumn?
I love autumn as hopefully you have had a great sunny summer with lots of barbeques and beach fun and as the weather starts to cool you get to dig out your big jumpers and fluffy pyjamas and have some well earned cosy nights in and of course look forward to Christmas! (And my birthday!)

2. Favourite drink?
Following on from before what better to have on a chilly night than a hot chocolate! I'm not a huge hot drink fan and only really drink green tea if any so what better time to have a hot chocolate with all the toppings.

3. Favourite scent/ candle?
During the summer I love tropical fruity scents and as it turns to autumn I start to prefer much more warmer mellow smells like vanilla and cinnamon.

4. Best lipstick?
At the beginning of the year I wasn't a huge lipstick wearer but as the has gone grown a slight obsession and as autumn is upon us I love the berry toned lip colours however have yet to find my perfect one .

5. Go to moisturiser?
Throughout the year I have a pretty oily skin type meaning I need something to keep my skin matte and my make up in place. One moisturiser I love and is great at doing this is the Garnier Shine Be Gone, it has a lovely texture and keeps the skin matte without drying it out. However recently I have also been using the La Roche Posay Efflaclar Duo which I have also been really liking.

 
6. Go to colour for the eyes?
As the bright berry lip colours start to come out I like to keep the eyes simple with neautral browns, creams and champagne colors for a subtle light look like the MUA Undress Me Too Palette.


7. Favourite music/ band/ singer to listen to?
I don't think there is a certain type of artist or band I like to listen to in autumn as it changes all the time however all year round I am a sucker for a boyband from The Wanted to One Direction to the Vamps I love them all!

8. Favourite outfit to wear?
As autumn draws in I genuinely look forward to digging out the thick wooly jumpers especially as it starts to get chilly which this year in England has happened in a flash, so my favourite go to out fit is skinny jeans, a plain vest top with a big fluffy jumper and some trainer wedges.

9. Autumn treat?
This is a pretty broad question I suppose my cheeky hot chocolate here and there in the autumn is a treat for my tummy and buying lovely new scents and candles for the house is a treat too.

10. Favourite place to be?
This is tough to call and my two options are complete polar opposites first being outside on a country side walk in lots of chunky layers ands boots with the sun shining but the air crisp and cold. Or on the other hand at home, on the sofa watching a film with a cosy blanket and warm drink.

And there you have it my take on my favourite things in autumn and I tag all of you reading this to have a go at answering all the questions too so I can see what you like about autumn! Thanks for stopping by , bye for now.x

Friday 20 September 2013

Face Mask Friday: Superdrug Dead Sea Purifying Mask

Hello there, today i have a face mask I found in my local Superdrug which is an own brand packet mask from Superdrug. The format and packaging of these masks are very similar to the ever so popular montagnue jenuesse and similar to them provide a huge range of different types and properties of masks for a big variety or skin types.

The mask I am using is the Dead Sea Purifying Clay Mask which is obviously a clay mask so great for drawing out extra oils and impurities from the skin, it has a lovely zesty scent of lemons and eucalyptus which makes it really uplifting and invigorating. I did find when wearing it I experienced some tingling and cooling sensations therefore wouldn't recommend it for the more sensitive skin types but absolutely for a anyone with any problem breakouts or oiliness.


This mask retails for a bargain or 99p and I got mine when a buy one get on half price offer was on, even better! Plus although you would think one sachet means one application there is so much product withing the packet you can always get a good 3 uses out of it making it super money saving, I love them! Have you tried any of these masks or similar brand like these? Let me know! Bye for now.x

Friday 13 September 2013

Semptember GlossyBox


Oh golly another month has past us again and this months box of treats are turning up at everyones doorsteps. This months box has a London theme as the London fashion week hype is going on all over and this months we have some goodies from our lovely own country the UK and there are some pretty good ones too!


First up I got a beautiful blusher from HD Brows, now I know that this brand is pretty big here in the UK and I do have one of their quad palletes which I love but I never realised they did other make up products too. I got the blusher in number 2 which is a gorgeous rosey pink with a golden shimmer which gives a really beautiful rosey glow.


Next up I got a little perfume sample from Elizabeth Arden again something I was unaware that this company did. This scent is called untold and it a very feminine and floral scent something that reminds me of what the older generations of my family would wear like my mum and auntie but is not musky, talcy or old at all. I also recieved Classic Shine Gloss Serum from Toni & Guy which is said to be a lightweight serum which provides gloss and shine to the hair which I think all hair types could benefit from and it has a lovely classic salon scent.

Another make up product I recieved was an eyeliner from Be A Bombshell Cosmetics, this is a felt tip like liner which applies wet similar to a liquid liner however is said to be much easier to use as you hold and use it just like a pen. I was surprised how large the nib of the liner was however you can see from the picture below it is achievable to change the thickness of the line depending on how you hold the pen.


And finally what better to add to a cat wing eyeliner than a great pair of lashes. These lashes are from Eyelure and are some of their 'per glued lashes' meaning they don't come with any glue but instead have an extremely sticky lash band, at first I was a little apprehensive if they would actually hold and stay put but they sure did. They look pretty out there in the packet especially for a non lash wearer like me however when on they do look really lovely and definitely wearable.

 
And there we have it a little round up on my September box, have you tried any of these products before? What were your thoughts? Thanks for stopping by, bye for now x

Monday 9 September 2013

A Tiny Bit of A Huge Haul.. Possibly


Now I am awfully sorry my posts have been a bit lack lustre and posted every now and then but I seemed to have hit a bit of a bloggers block but now feel in much better form and everything should be coming back at you thick and fast with some good content .. hopefully. So what better way to get me back in the swing of it than sharing a pretty big haul of things I may have just purchased.


My first stop in my local town was Boots as I had my eyes set on a couple of things to pick up which also happened to be two of my most expensive purchases. Firstly was the La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo which is a 'corrective and unclogging anti-imperfection skin care' product now from that currently I'm not sure if its a serum or moisturiser so will need to read a little further but a lot of people have spoke about this including Tanya Burr and Ruth Crilly so if it lives up to the claim there will definitely be a follow up post on this. Another product I got which I'm interested to see results from is the I - White Instant Teeth Whitening Kit, this was on sale in Boots with £5 off making it £19.99 which I think is not a bad price as it contains 10 trays meaning you can do your upper and lower teeth 5 times and it also claim to suit everyone's teeth so again their will definitely be a more detailed post on this purchase if it goes well... or horrifically wrong.


Whilst in Boots I picked up a few of their own brand products from the Botanics line and also their Skin Clear range which I personally have never seen before in store. I was hunting for a new face mask similar to one of my old favourites the Sanctuary 10 Minute Thermal Mask and although this one doesn't claim to be thermal of any kind the Iconic Clay Mask Shine Away has a very similar texture and properties such as deeply cleansing and removing impurities so I thought I would give it a try. I also picked up their All Bright Refreshing Eye Roll on which is very similar to the No.7 eye gel which I have just finished up but a lot lot cheaper. Within their possibly new Skin Clear range which seems to be a budget teen acne/ oily skin care range I found a One Touch Spot Stick which is a clear gel that is applied directly to spots to reduce and clear breakouts and also their Oil Absorbing Sheets. In my later teenage life I have suffered from pretty oily skin but never tried any blotting sheets so I thought what better chance as all of this range is very pocket friendly.


My next stop was Superdrug as I was hoping to pick up a new perfume and as the fan girl I am I of course wanted to smell the new one from One Direction too, I was hoping to love Our Moment but it didn't wow me and I'm usually all for all the celebrity scents but it smelt a little to floral for me and the bottle didn't really win me over either but I did see Katy Perry's new Killer Queen scent which I ended up getting. It has a typical sweet scent but as it settles on the skin reveals a bit more of a muskier tone but still sweet and sugary and the bottle is pretty out their too and will compliment any dresser. Whilst as Superdrug I also spotted some own brand packet masks very similar to Montagne Jeunesse brand which I adore so picked up a couple of them too to give a whirl.


 
My final stop off was in H&M as it was on travels back to the car and just pulled me in, I went straight to the sale section as my balance spent was rising pretty high but I found two pieces which I love and were on an amazing sale. The first I found was the lacy skull top, I have nothing like this in my wardrobe but over the summer have grown to love bandeaus which I thought would look really cute under this as it is completely sheer and see through. I also found a bright pink pair of jeans for just £5, recently I lost a little weight which seemed to go from my bum and thighs meaning that none on my jeans were fitting me right anymore and I spotted these and fell in love and they are super soft so will be really comfy and look great too!


Well that was a bit of a long one, apologies for that but that was fun to buy and write about the high some females get from shopping is strange but its oh so addictive. What have you been up to recently I would love to know, thanks for stopping by, bye for now.x

Thursday 5 September 2013

Nail of the Day - Essie Bikini So Teenie

As I have said in one of my previous nail polish posts I rarely wear polish on my fingers due to my work therefore change up my toe nails a lot and thought I would share them with you instead, apologies for any foot phobias out there.



This polish is Bikini So Teenie from Essie which is one of my newer ones in my collection and I got this in one of my previous beauty boxes and I absolutely love it. It is a beautiful blue/ lilac colour which also has a very subtle glitter within in it. The polish comes up a little more blue in the photographs but I think it looks pretty damn cute which ever way it looks. Essie polishes have become more and more popular recently especially as they are now available on the high street in Boots which you can find here and retail for £7.99 for a 15ml polish bottle. I don't think this price is extortionate however is still a little high for me if I was going to buy a lot of them but for a special colour that may have been recommended or raved about over and over I may just pick one up.

Do you think £7.99 is too much for a polish or do you have any Essie colours you would really recommend? Let me know, thanks for stopping by.x