BIG Collective Haul Part 1: Shoes

In a wee change of events from the usual empties/review posts that have become so standard of late, I have a haul post for you - the first of three in fact.

This isn't because i've suddenly won the lottery and bulk-bought a load of stuff, but rather is a way of 'showcasing' things i've accumulated (shall we say) over the past few months (including Christmas presents and whatnot).

So not to bore everyone to tears (and give myself a serious headache trying to put it all together), i've decided to split these posts (and hopefully youTube videos) into: 

1. Shoes 

2. Clothing/Accessories (such as handbags and jewellery) and 

3. Everything else (which includes everything from my MacBook Pro to my Hello Kitty jewellery stand!).

So for today's post...

A Pair Of Shoes Can Change Your Life. Just Ask Cinderella.

Jewelled Sandals - Next via Ebay £15 (RRP £35)

I have a dance/ball to go to in March (watch out for pictures!) and needed some pretty yet practical sandals to wear with my dress. I couldn't resist these when I spotted them on Ebay.

Tan ballet pumps - Primark £3 (Sale)

As if Primark couldn't get any cheaper! A girl can never have too many little flat shoes, and these will be ideal for work (when the weather gets warmer and i'm prepared to give up my socks!)

Blink Hi-tops in Bronze and Gunmetal - TKMaxx £24.99

Yes, that's right, I bought two pairs of the same type of trainer. Even though they're not technically my style and I haven't a CLUE what i'm going to wear them with. But you know what? I love them!

Ankle Boots - Matalan £18

For everyday wear, I live in these kind of little boots: practical yet chic. I love the gold detailing on them.

Emu Sheepskin Mini Boots - TKMaxx £27 (sale - RRP £125!)

This was a bit of a guilty purchase. I know they are basically the devil incarnate in a shoe for many people, but I just couldn't resist. They weren't even meant to fit me (labelled as a size 6 when i'm a 7), but something made me try them on and before you know it their marshmallow cosiness had me walking to the checkout with them. Sorry.

Horrendous photo. I do apologise. But you get the gist. 

'Palomino' Boot - Jones Bootmaker (Christmas present)

There's something about a good pair  of black leather boots that always makes me feel more 'pulled together', and so I was delighted when I got these for Christmas (after much hinting). Very sturdy and comfortable yet stylish too (...I sound like my mother.)

'Tulsa' Boot - Jones Bootmaker £40 (sale)

I love these. I have already ran down a street in them and didn't die - albeit I was drunk and probably would have bounced should I have fallen over. 

So what do you think? A bit excessive on the shoe front, or are you as bad as me for footwear?

Review: NSpa Melting Cleansing Gel

As you may have noticed, I am very into my skincare of late, and have been trying out various products in the hope they will be my skin's saviour and do miraculous things for me. 

Whilst I do not claim to be a Caroline Hirons (aka skincare boffin) by any means, I feel it is my blogger duty to report back my findings (...goodness i'm coming across all 007 on you) as I go along!

This time it is the turn of the Melting Cleansing Gel by NSpa, a brand for which I have already reviewed their Hot Cloth Polish, and as such I won't ramble on too much about them, other than to say this particular range is an affordable line of skincare produced by Nirvana Spa for Asda.

Like the other products in the range, this is very reasonably priced at £6.00 for a 125ml super-squeezy tube of product - far more practical than some of the packaging types on the market!

When it comes to skincare, it's can be quite surprising how 'influential' textures are (for example super-thick creams sometimes make me think that they are instantly going to be too heavy for me, and likewise watery consistences can be as equally off putting), and as a gel consistency, whilst feeling undoubtedly luxurious(main ingredients include essential oil of Neroli, grapeseed oil, vitamin E and Ginsing), the oiler/combination skinned of you out there might find this a bit much (and so might want to opt for something more astringent), despite being marketed as suitable for all skin types (including sensitive).

I like the fact that being gel-based in consistency makes the oils contained in this cleanser more 'practical' for use (i.e. you can easily massage them into your face without them running everywhere!), and as a little goes a long way, you can afford to use this quite sparingly (I used a ten-pence piece sized amount).

I also quite like the scent, which I would struggle to say exactly what it is (I'm rubbish at describing smells!), but if I had to pick one i'd probably say orange-scented baby shampoo (yes I do know there's no such thing - smell it  yourself and you'll see!) very mild and subtle, yet with a hint of citrus.

  

The unique properties of this cleanser mean that when the gel is combined with warm water (after massaging onto a dry face) it emulsifies and turns into a cleansing milk to remove make-up and other impurities.

I have tried to use this on it's own (using a ten-pence sized blob of cleanser as shown above) to remove my standard everyday facial makeup (foundation, concealer, blusher), but despite massaging my face for several minutes, the gel does struggle to break down heavier makeup such as foundation, and therefore using it alongside a face/muslin cloth (or even a facial cleansing brush, for those of you with Clarisonics out there) is recommended, especially if you struggle to get away with wearing more than just a spot  of concealer here and there!

Another alternative is also to use it as a pre-cleanse product, or a post-makeup removal cleansing product (i.e. after Bioderma, for example). 

A big plus however is that it does not dry out my skin despite containing alcohol (something which is a big factor for me in choosing skincare) or leave a residue (when used with a facial cloth), nor has it irritated it thus far (unlike the Hot Cloth Polish from this range which I found could sting my skin occasionally). 

A quick breakdown of the ingredients (none of which are parabens, hooray):

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride: oily liquid made from coconut oil.

Glycerin: present in all natural fats (whether animal or vegetable).

Vitis Vinifera Seed Oil: Grapeseed oil.

Aqua: Water

Sucrose Laurate: fatty acid esterified form of sucrose and lauric acid widely used as an emulsifier in the cosmetics industry.

Sucrose Palmitate: skin conditioning agent used as an emollient and emulsifying agent.

Parfum: fragrance.

Citrus Aurantium Flower Oil: Neroli oil

Panax Ginseng Root Extract: Ginseng extract used to rejuvenate and invigorate.

Prunus Armeniaca Kernal Oil: apricot oil.

Persea Gratissima Oil: avocado oil.

Tocopheryl Acetate: vitamin E acetate.

Alcohol

Sucrose Myristate: natural origin food grade emulsifier used to create gel that washes off easily.

Isopropyl Myristate: otherwise known as liquid paraffin. Synthetic oil.

Phenoxyethanol: preservative - new alternative to parabens.

Ethylhexylglycerin: weak preservative - another alternative to parabens.

Linalool: naturally occuring alcohol chemical found in many essential oils including lavendar, rose and orange.

Alpha-Isomethyl Ionone: fragrance ingredient.

Limonene: naturally occuring hydrocarbon which smells strongly like oranges. 

CL 16035: colouring                    

CL 19140: colouring.

Did you know that on a product label, the ingredients are listed in order of predominance, with the ingredients used in the greatest amounts listed first, followed in descending order by other ingredients?

That means that although this cleaning gel does contain some synthetic ingredients, the great majority of ingredients are natural goodies, and in the greatest amounts.

Overall this cleanser gets a thumbs up from me. 

Just like the Hot Cloth Polish is a good (obvious) dupe for the Liz Earl product, this would be a good alternative for the much more expensive Elemis Melting Cleansing Gel, and suggest you pop one in your basket next time you're in Asda!

Have you tried anything from NSpa?

30 Before 30: another one off the list

Pensions are not the most exciting of things to talk about in a blog post, but I thought i'd give it a wee mention as it was one of my 30 Before 30 items!

As No.18 on my list of things to do before I turned 30, getting a pension wasn't particularly high on the list of my priorities. 

However when I was given the opportunity by my work to start/contribute in to one, I took the chance and now feel a lot more responsible and grown up (coming from someone who is nearly 25)!

What I really want to do next is look into getting a mortgage, but this might fall behind saving for a DSLR and going to New York...

Product Empties - January 2013

Okay, okay, you got me, I'm pretty sure in my last empties post I said I was going to do many other posts than just empties ones, and that still stands...it just seems a month goes a lot quicker than I realised!

Before I launch into this post, just a wee note to say i'm currently one of the February advertisers over on  Steph's Blog (who coincidentally also did my amazing blog revamp recently), so make sure you check out her blog and the other bloggers who are advertising there this month too :)

But back to the matter in hand; here's what I got through this month...

Johnson's Baby Lotion

I'm pretty sure this was in my December empties too; if it was it's not surprise as I go through tons of the stuff, slathering it on as a body moisturiser after a shower. My mum uses it as a cleanser too (and coincidentally has lovely skin!)

Angel EDP by Thierry Muglar

One of my most favourite perfumes, this is a bit of a Marmite product: the heavy/spicy chocolate notes which are so appealing to many people such as myself can at the same time be very off putting to others! I personally love it, but  it tends to be a Christmas/birthday treat as it is rather pricey.

Calvin Klein Lipgloss in 'Sparkle'

I have never seen Calvin Klein cosmetics available anywhere but TKMaxx in the UK (and some places online, such as Fragrance Direct), and i'm pretty sure this came as part of a set from there. It was a bit of a love/hate product for me: I hated the smell/taste (very sickly) but liked the gloss and the relative staying power (it is rather thick in consistency).

The Body Shop White Musk Deodorant

As someone who is attempting to become entirely cruelty free in terms of the products I use and so on, deodorant has proved to be one of the toughest to pinpoint, particularly if I want to find a product that is not only effective, but is inexpensive too. I had high hopes for this one, as I had heard so many reviews raving about it, but I found it a bit 'meh' (it didn't keep me at all dry, and at £4.00 isn't the cheapest option out there) and have since moved on to Superdrug's own brand deodorant.

Lush Rub Rub Rub Body Scrub

One of my most recent reviews, you will like this scrub if you like salt-based, 'hardcore' scrubs, that do exactly what they say on the tin. Since my review I have tried this on my hair, and although mid-hairwash I did have a moment of 'holy crap, what have I done?!', once I managed to wash it all out it did leave my hair incredibly clean. Maybe one for folks with hair somewhat shorter than mine...

So there we are, only a relative few empty products for you in comparison to other months. I've already got through 3 products this month and it's only the 4th, so looks like February's Empties post could be a jam packed one!

Review: Lush Rub Rub Rub

Not another Lush review I hear you cry - but surely you can't have too much Lush in your life? 

I certainly can't. 

I do intend to do a 'best of'/recommended Lush product post in the very near future, but these will be basic summaries of my favourite products, whereas I like to go into a lot more detail in my individual reviews. 

This time it is the turn of Rub Rub Rub shower scrub, a delightful concoction which Lush say can be used on both the body and hair. Interesting.

First things first, the packaging.
As part of their 'Green Incentives', Lush try to use as little packaging as possible in their shops, and about half their product range can be taken home 'naked', such as bath bombs, massage bars, shampoo bars and so on (although they do usually give you a recycled paper bag, to save mess in transit!).

Where packaging is required - such as for Rub Rub Rub - they try to use recycled materials, with 90 per cent of packing materials being of recycled origin. The black recycled tubs which have became rather synonymous with Lush are both recycled and recyclable, and as an eco-friendly incentive Lush will give you a free face mask of your choice when you bring back 5 clean pots/tubs/tubes.

I personally like the simplicity of the packaging designs, and Rub Rub Rub's screw-top pot means it's easy to scoop out product whilst in the bath or shower without any fiddly bits!

The product itself (a fairly generous 330g, which retails for £7.95 - for comparison's sake, Soap and Glory's Sugar Crush is £8.00 for 300ml) is a bright blue, highly salt-concentrated paste, with a very unique smell that I can't quite put my finger on - Lush describe it as blossom-scented sea salt, with Orange Flower, Jasmine and Mimosa as key notes in the mix. A lovely scent nonetheless, it doesn't particularly apply itself to either men or women, making it an ideal unisex product.

When used in the shower on wet skin it is almost like a cleansing shower gel, but for real scrub effect it is best used on dry skin before stepping under running water - not for the sensitive skinned out there, but perfect if you like it rough! - to leave skin very smooth and receptive to moisturiser. 

I am not a fake tan user, therefore I can't comment on how this might affect fake tan application afterwards, but it does leave a very slight moisturising oil on the skin, which might make it better suited to post rather than pre fake tan.

A couple of other uses for this product as suggested by Lush is as a refreshing foot scrub (which I can vouch for, especially if the Volcano Foot Mask is used afterwards) and also to wash hair with, as sea salt is known to add volume to hair. 

I've not yet been brave enough to put this near my tresses (I can't get my head round how it would work - how on earth would I get all the salt out my mane?!), but I might use the last bit of product i've got left and give it a go...i'm sure you'll hear about it on Twitter if it's a disaster!

Like a large majority of Lush products, Rub Rub Rub is preservative free, which means no nasty parabens that can be absorbed by the skin, and recommended to be used 'fresh' (although it does come with a use-by date - mine is October this year). 

Disappointingly it does contain SLES (or Sodium Laureth Sulphate - not dissimilar to Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, which is used to create the 'foam' in shampoos, shower gels and so on), a chemical detergent  and foaming agent or surfactant (as it is chemically known) which can be irritating to the skin. 

In the 'Ingredients' page on their website,  you can find out how Lush justify the use of this chemical (amongst many, many other ingredients - it really is quite fascinating, especially for a would-be skincare geek like me!) in their products - in a nutshell it is to allow water and oil to become dispersed (i.e. with their bubble bars) and hence allow the mechanical removal of dirt. 

Despite this, I personally have not experienced any irritation with Rub Rub Rub (and i've got quite tempremental, psoriasis-prone skin), and they do make up for the use of chemicals and perfume with lots of other lovely ingredients:

Fine Sea Salt, Sodium Laureth Sulfate, Fresh Organic Lemon Juice, Water, Sodium Cocoamphoacetate, Jasmine Flower Infusion,Mimosa Absolute, Orange Flower Absolute,Jasmine Absolute, Lemon Oil, Lactic Acid, Lauryl Betaine, *Limonene, Perfume, Colour 42090, Colour 45410

(Black = safe synthetic, Green = natural ingredient)

I would really recommend this as a refreshing once-a-week treat for your body, and Lush are really good with their free samples, so if you fancy trying this but don't want to fork out the £7.95 at first, pop into your local store and ask for a sample. 

Tell them I sent you!

Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

(Post title is a Mark Twain quote for the literary lovers out there). 

This post is a bit of a momentous one: not only am I typing this on my new MacBook Pro (yes you read right, whoop whoop), is it my 200th blog post. Wowza.

I didn't think I would ever get to 200 posts (nor have 88 lovely subscribers), but I am genuinely glad to be at this point in my little blog, and thoroughly intend to keep working at it as I really enjoy developing it and writing about new things. 

My blog (and reading other people's) is also a means by which I have 'met' some wonderful, wonderful people. 

In years gone by, meeting/talking to people on the internet was considered weird (to say the least), but now it is a perfectly accepted and normal means through which people from all over the world can interact with each other, and I personally have got to talk to people through my blog, twitter and YouTube who I would actually say are kinder and more considerate that a great majority of people you will come across in the 'real world.'

One such lovely person that I have been very fortunate to get to know is Robyn Tarbox, who you've probably heard me mention on here before, or have seen me tweet about several times! 

Robyn (who has her own blog, Want, Buy, Blog) has become a bit of a confidant (via MAHOOSIVE emails on my part) for me, and I am incredibly grateful for her patiently listening to my ramblings! 

She also spoils me by sending me bits and bobs, such as skincare or makeup bits she thinks I would like, or that she's tried but doesn't get on with - waste not, want not! - and it's little things like that; little thoughtful gestures that help make me realise that there are actually genuine, kind people in the world!

She very recently sent me another fabulous box of goodies; so fabulous in fact that it would be rude not to share it with you...

Bare Minerals Naturally Classic Set - Until meeting Robyn, I had never tried mineral makeup (and have only recently forayed into mineral foundation), so I can't wait to play about with this beautiful set which contains: 

a clutch bag (although i'm more likely to use it to hold makeup)

Wild Honey natural lipgloss - the most stunning peachy-goodie-pink coloured gloss

Papaya Blush - rose-toned blusher with a slight shimmer to it

Be Grateful Eyecolour - a gorgeous nude 

Classic Eyecolour - a nutmeg shade perfect for adding depth to daytime eyes

Sure Thing liner shadow - described as a soft plumb-brandy, I can't wait to use this to line my eyes with.

Bare Minerals Foundation in Fairly Light (N10): I have to admit as a long-time liquid foundation user, I was initially quite wary/dubious of mineral foundations. However I have tried this out a couple of times, and although I think practise will make perfect (I still need to nail down covering blemishes and under-eye circles), I do like the natural, 'lightly airbrushed' effect it gives.

Bare Minerals Instant Waterproof Eye Makeup Remover - if you are a long standing reader of my blog (I salute you), you will know I have tried countless eye makeup removers in a bid to find the infamous 'holy grail' product (and let me tell you people I am still on that mission), and so i'm really excited to try out this from BM- could it be the one?!

Clarins HydraQuench Cream and HydraQuench Intensive Serum- Other than the famous Beauty Flash Balm, i've never tried any Clarins products, so i'm looking forward to giving these a go.

Weleda Wild Rose Smoothing Night Cream - I love receiving all these skincare goodies, as it's something i'm interested in - and the more natural the better!

Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator and Daywear Moisturiser - EL are noted for their skincare, and like I mentioned above I'm always interested in trying out new products. New face here I come?!

The Body Shop Aloe Calming Cleanser and Toner - More skincare goodies! These are aimed towards sensitive skin, and as my skin is going through a very tempremental phase at the moment, i'm hoping these can be it's saviour!

I also have to give a mention to the Hotel Chocolat milk and white chocolate bar that was also included...but which I ate within about 5 minutes of opening the box!

An incredibly generous box of products I think you'll agree - thank you again Robyn! 

Product Empties: December 2012

I do apologise that the vast majority of my recent posts have either been reviews or product empties - I will produce other stuff I promise!

I think i've mentioned before, but I get an odd sense of satisfaction from finishing products and being able to write about them with confidence, so here are my belated December empties...

Lip Products

Barry M Lipgloss in Toffee - I bought this after hearing so much hype about it, but to be honest it was just a bit 'meh.' It did give a nice nude gloss to my lips, but it's quite thin in consistency and so didn't last long on the lips. I apply gloss regularly, and so went through this extra quick! I'm not so fussd about buying it again - at the moment i'm using an MUA £1 gloss that I like.

 

Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour cream (lipbalm form) - Another product I got through VERY fast, not just because I am a lip product junkie, but because this is essentially the 8 hour cream balm in a lipstick form, and as such is quite soft and easy to use up quickly. If I was going to use the 8 Hour cream again i'd just get the tube and not bother with this.

 

No7 Lipliner in Nude - A hand-me-down from my mum, I only very recently realised this is the lipliner that Lisa Eldridge uses frequently in her tutorials. To be honest i'm not much of a lipliner user, but I did like to use this on days I wanted to look more 'polished.'

 

 

Hair

Naked Detox Balancing Shampoo - I really like the Naked line of skincare and haircare products, and bought this as I hoped it might help with product buildup on my hair. It foams up really well despite being free of chemical nasties, and is quite nice and refreshing, but it didn't wow me sadly.

Skincare

Nspa Hot Cloth Polish Cleanser - A product you might recently have read my review on, this is a really good product if you are looking for a cheaper alternative to the Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish Cleanser. I really like the Nspa products i've used so far, and would consider buying this again.

 

The Body Shop Seaweed Deep Cleansing Facial Wash - Whilst I didn't really get on with the moisturiser from this range (given to me by lovely Robyn), and although I don't have particularly oily skin, I did quite like this facial wash. It was refreshing to use first thing in the morning and didn't dry my skin out.

 

Asda Skin System Eye Makeup Remover - I feel like i've had this for literally ages, and whilst I did initally like it, towards the later stages of use I was finding it stung my eyes. It's very thick in consistency and more akin to a facial cleanser than something to use on your eyes in my opinion.

 

Makeup

Maybelline Superstay 24H Foundation - I don't get through a lot of makeup quickly, but foundation is one thing I get through faster than the rest. I'm trying to work through my stash of foundations i've somehow accumulated, and this was next to go. I love the initial look/effect of it when you first apply it: really fresh and dewy and quite natural, and it's not at all mask-like, but, as with most medium coverage foundations, it does lose the just-applied look throughout the day. I wouldn't say it wears off completely, but neither would I say that it's 24 hour as claimed.

 

Have you done any product empties posts recently? I'd love to read them!

 

Melanie x