Empties!! Lots and lots of empties...

As i finish one product i throw it into a classy Tesco bag and move on to the next. I thought it was time to recycle when i realised i had four deodorants and three shaving foams... I won't go through every single item as that's boring and will put you to sleep.

wow i go through a lot of products!

You know when you get shampoos and conditioners from travel sets or Christmas and you think you will get to use them but never get around to finishing? I am very guilty of this and always have random brands. Shampoo here, conditioner here. It just takes up space. 

L'oreal Everstrong No sulphates Conditioner didn't really agree with my hair and either made my hair greasy the same day or left it feeling dirty after directly washing my hair. Unfortunately there was a promotion so i have a couple more of these to get through. I hate when shops suck you in like that!

Orofluido shampoo and conditioner consisted of a creamy "gold" colour. I liked the shampoo but the conditioner was too light for my curly prone to frizz hair.

I would genuinly buy all these products again apart from the "Ever Since" hand and body lotion on the second left, which i got for Christmas in a nail set. The Body shop products never seize to let me down and i absolutely love the vanilla and brazil nut scents.

Crabtree and Evelyn's LA source and soothing body lotion were not my favourite scents. LA Source was a handy size for overnight stays and weekend breaks. The scent was favourites  by the men in my life. I used the soothing body lotion at night before bed due to its relaxing lavender and rosewood essential oils. In fact i've nearly finished my second bottle of this! The little squashed hand cream at the front there will be re-purchased when i finish all the millions of hand creams i have.

 I received Lush's Charity pot in Chocolate for Christmas. I used this to treat myself as it started depleting very quickly. The chocolate scent is strange and overpowering at first but once you put it on the skin it feels so soft and smells faintly sweet. I liked the thin consistency to it too.

Everyone knows how amazing Body Shop and Soap and Glory shower gels are so i won't go into those. I bought the No 7 Luxurious foaming shower oil (with the body spritz but that's not finished yet) as part as a 3 for 2. I love oils so the fact this could foam was a win for me. However, it didn't foam up that much and i had to remember not to pour out double of what i would normally use. I think i would purchase this again as it left my skin so silkly soft.  Used with the body oil it feels heavenly.

Good old Laura Mericer does it again. I bought these two in a set along with the matching shower gel (40 pounds gone down from 50 - bargain!) and used this for very special occasions like nights out or if  i needed a pick me up. The Creme Brulee smell is just amazing, but if you don't like sickly smells i wouldn't go for this as it smells very strongly of the dessert. The body creme is so thick and you can just tell it is expensive and luxurious: almost as if you stepped out of your bathroom and into a spa . If this wasn't too expensive i would definitely buy this set again. Hello Father Christmas?

I won't talk about the Bioderma but something i have been doing is putting them into these little Vichy samples. This has been good for weekends away or holidays and i will be keeping these little bottles for future trips. I am yet to buy another Bioderma but I've been using Decleor Aroma Cleanse followed by a face wash and moisturiser. I've lost my Decleor toner somewhere which is a sad time for me because it was a full, big bottle of it. Sigh.

I received the BB cream sample from a magazine and after using up the sample i went out and bought it straight away. I do my face as usual in the morning with moisturiser and use this on top as a replacement to foundation. I was using this the most in the summer months and on holiday, but if you apply too much it's hard to blend in. Another sample, which is the Yu Be skin cream, will not be purchased in full size. It smells very medicinal and although it claims to defeat dry skin i don't think it was any better than my usual handcreams.

The L'oreal mascara is my favourite and i would use again and again. I've actually finished another one and i'm on to my fourth. I've also repurchased a concealer and Laura Mercier foundation, which hasn't been touched all summer, winter is coming Laura don't worry!

Prada Candy is an amazing perfume! Is smells so sweet and as i love sweet smells it is perfect for me. It has base notes of caramel and top notes of musk (you can tell i'm good at recalling scents can't you?) The staying power isn't great but i still would purchase it again in the future. Right now i have the new Prada Candy which is my new favourite perfume. I like to mix it up although it is always the sweet scents i go for.

Lesley on Birthday surprises galore

I am slightly behind on this post... sorry! A few weeks ago it was my 24th birthday and i celebrated with a few drinks the night before and a relaxing, chilled out day on my actual birthday. I also received some beautiful gifts from family and friends. In particular i would like to show you my makeup gifts (of course) and some very thoughtful ones that made me smile.

me and Sophia

Illamasqua Pure Pigment Lose Eye Pigment in Ore - 1.3g

I've never had Illamasqua makeup before and was delighted when Sophia bought me this. I was complaining to her that i don't have a good golden eyeshadow, not knowing she had this baby waiting for me! Ore is a metallic bronze/dark gold with  green/pink/gold glitter. When i swatch it i think the colours look amazing (the swatches below does not give it justice as i couldn't catch the reflective sheen) I love that it has multiple purposes, you can use it for highlighting brows, wet or dry eyeshadow or mixed with other eyeshadows, or mix with. 

Didn't need to use three pictures, but wanted to try and capture the glitter

I absolutely love what it says on the box- 

"Art of Darkness invites you to enter a world where seeing is believing, and believing can be dangerous. where mythical beings gather to feast, fantasise and create the ever-elusive Elixir of Life. So indulge your extravagant side and revel in the otherworldliness of night time makeup."

Source: Illamasqua site

Not really anything to do with makeup until the last sentence, but i love how the Illamasqua team take makeup to the next level. We are all aware how their new collection "Theatre of the Nameless" is completely amazing as well as their previous collections.

As i am a sucker for beautiful packaging, I'm completely drawn to the light and dark emerald green with the green scarab beetle, which fits into the "Arts of darkness" theme and i will never throw this away! I also love the square packaging but i think they have made an error because to open it you have to put ur finger under an edge and flick it up. Also at first i didn't like the plastic that held the pigment in, but once the pigment is out it looks fine (i am sooo picky!) 

Accesorize Baked Bronzing duo Laguna Shade 3

I love this bronzer so much! I've been eyeing it up for ages and almost bought it a few days before, so I'm so glad i didn't. I love that it is quite versatile, the left bronzey gold would be great for during the day and the right is a rusty gold and will be great for nights out. Mixed together... I love the pearly shimmer running through it too.

my sister dropped and broke my GOSH after only using it a handful of times (thanks sis!)

MAC Phloof! pro palette eyeshadow

I love how my friends know me so well! I wanted a highlighter for my brows and inner corners of my eyes  but ... was OK but a little on the pink side. Phloof! is a gorgeous off white, really light pink frost colour. This is going to quickly become a staple in my collection. Only one more e/s before my collection is complete (although i might get rid of Gesso, it cracked, but recently I've found I've been using it to highlight too) Also i will sweep it over my entire lid for a nice natural sheen for during the day.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle - 10g

Another well desired product! It reminds me of a soft highlighter but when built up a nice velvety bronzer.

Britney Spears Fantasy Eau De Parfum- 30mls

This has been my favourite scent for years and years now and of course my friends are used to smelling the sweet cupcake scent of Britney Spears. I love really sweet smells and opposed to citrus and musky. I was onto my last bottle so was using it wisely, but now i don't have to as i have a backup. It has top notes of red lychee, quince and kiwi, heart notes of white chocolate, jasmine and orchard, and base notes of musk and sensual woods. Some people might think the bottle is tacky but i personally think the pinky/purple bottle with the green Swarovski crystals is so cute.