Project Empties #10

Wednesday 29 February 2012

This month has been quite successful on the skincare/body and make-up usage. I'm slowly, but surely working my way through everything. Although it doesn't help that I recently bought some new La Roche Posay items!


Clarisonic Nourishing Care Cleanser
Review: This is designed for dry skin, so it was nice and rich without being too heavy. It had a sort of artificial sherbert orange scent, which I initially liked but eventually grew sick of! The cleanser worked well with the Clarisonic, and worked just as well on it's own.
Would I repurchase? Maybe

Neutrogena Multi Defence Daily Moisturiser
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Already have

Soap & Glory Clean, Girls Body Wash
Review: This is a lovely body wash. It smells amazing and leaves your skin feeling soft and clean. The smell lingers a little on the skin, which is lovely. I did find that sometimes this didn't foam well and I would need 4-5 pumps to make it lather up nicely. However the bottle lasted me ages, but annoyingly I couldn't get the last dregs from the bottom as the pump didn't reach it and I couldn't tip it out easily due to the bottle shape.
Would I repurchase? Yes

The Body Shop Vitamin E Sink In Moisture Mask
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes


Estee Lauder Double Wear Zero-Smudge Lengthening Mascara
Review: This mascara is brilliant! It's super lengthening and adds a little volume as well. It layers brilliantly with other mascaras - I have layered it with Max Factor False Lash Effect and Rimmel Lash Accelerator and it worked a treat. The formula does not smudge at all, so you get a nice long wearing formula without having to buy a waterproof mascara. I did find it difficult to remove the last few traces of mascara at night, so that goes to show that it really hangs around.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Collection 2000 Extreme 24hr Felt Tip Liner
Review: This is a fantastic, pigmented felt tip eyeliner for a great price. It's so easy to use and would be great for anyone that is a little shaky when applying liquid eyeliner. The nib is quite big, so it may be difficult to get a thin and precise line, but it's perfect for cat eye/winged liner. I thought it dried up quite quickly, however if you press the nib onto the back of your hand, it would bring more fluid to the nib and it would work again. I never found this smudged on me, however it was easy to remove.
Would I repurchase? Yes


These are just a few mini samples that I received from a magazine (I think). The shampoo and conditioner were nice and left my hair feeling clean and soft. However the winner was the deep conditioner/mask. It left my hair feeling so soft and shiny, without making it weighed down.

What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Collective Haul

Tuesday 21 February 2012

I'm sorry I haven't been blogging very regularly lately. I have had writer's block for a while now, which ultimately made me post less as I didn't know what to blog about. I have also been super busy with uni, as I am in my final year (eek!). Hopefully posts will become regular again soon - Probably around March time :)

Today I have a collective haul from the past few weeks to share with you. I say it in the video, but sorry that some of the stuff has been worn! I think it's nice to keep the labels on for hauls, but I can never wait to wear new clothes! Is anyone else like that? Hope you enjoy :)


Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy

Wardrobe Envy: Taylor Swift

Monday 13 February 2012

After scrolling through numerous websites featuring pictures from the red carpet of the Grammys 2012, I couldn't help but notice how beautiful Taylor Swift's dress was! I've always liked Taylor's music, but never really paid much attention to her style so I decided to have a gander at some of her past outfit choices and subsequently fell in her love with her wardrobe.
All images are from TaylorSwiftWeb.net and Google

The first thing I noticed after looking through pictures of Taylor is her trademark red lip, winged eyeliner and gorgeous curls. Taylor's casual day to day outfit choices always look cute and cool, while also looking comfortable and casual and she knows how to flatter her tall and slender frame. I like how she mixes high street with a touch of vintage and I've noticed that there are a few things that feature heavily in her every day outfit choices: the colours black and red, stripes, patterned dresses, nipped in waists and Wildfox Couture! A theme that runs through all her dresses for awards and premieres is glitz, glam and embellishment with simple accessories.

Who are your style crushes? You can see more of my style crushes here.

xoxo, Joy

Review: ELF Brushes

Monday 6 February 2012

A few months ago, I bought some brushes from ELF as they were offering 40% off due to them getting 275,000 likes on Facebook. I happily picked up some new brushes and thought I've used them enough now to do a thorough review on them. I've also decided to throw in a review of some ELF brushes that I had bought previously too.

Lip Brush - £1.50 - I've not really had a chance to use this that much, but it is a lovely brush. It's super soft and is a good shape to give an accurate lipstick line. I feel like it's quite a large brush, but I've not got any other lip brush to compare it to. It's a great brush for a great price.

Eyebrow Wand - £1.50 - There's not much to say about this brush to be honest. I just use it to comb through my eyebrows before applying products and it works well.

Studio Stipple Brush - £3.50 - I have been using this for MAC Virgin Isle Cream Colour Base and MAC Her Blooming Cheek and it's great. It isn't very dense, but that's what makes it so good at applying pigmented blushes. It deposits the right amount of colour from pigmented blushers and diffuses it nicely on the cheek. It is also great for highlighter. The brush is very flat, but after washing a few times it has become slightly rounder. I have never experienced any shedding with this brush.

Studio Complexion Brush - £3.50 - I love using this brush for powder or blending out blusher/bronzer/contour. It's super soft and is nice and dense to distribute powder evenly. It doesn't shed at all.

Studio Blush Brush - £3.50 - This is one of my favourite brushes. It's the perfect size for blush and contouring. It's super soft and I love how it tapers at the end, so it's more accurate.

Studio Flat Powder Brush - £3.50 - I really like this brush. It's so versatile - I've used it for foundation, cream blush and contour and I'm sure you could use it for even more. It's very similar to the Sigma F80. It's a super dense brush, which applies everything like a dream, especially foundation. I have never experienced any shedding from it.

Studio Slanted Brush - £3.50 - This is a nice brush for filling in your eyebrows. The brush isn't very stiff and sometimes splays a little too much, meaning the lines it creates aren't always completely accurate.

Studio Face Kabuki - £5 - This is a lovely, soft and dense kabuki. I use this for my setting powder and it distributes powder evenly and is a great buffer. It washed well and I experience no shedding from it.

What do you think of ELF brushes? What is your favourite brand for brushes?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #9

Saturday 4 February 2012

I managed to finish quite a few products in January. As per usual, they are mainly skincare items and very few make-up items. However I am determined to persevere! I am quite proud that I haven't any new make-up or skincare since Christmas (excluding restocking up of the essentials).


Estée Lauder Soft Clean Moisture Rich Foaming Cleanser
Review: It is a really rich moisturiser, which is designed for dry skin. It smells fresh and clean and foams nicely, leaving your skin feeling soft and clean. It never left it feeling tight or dry. It worked really well on it's own, with a muslin cloth or with my Clarisonic. However I didn't really think this cleanser was anything special to be honest. This was a free GWP, but the original price is £20 for 125ml, which is quite steep for a simple foaming cleanser.
Would I repurchase? No

Clarisonic Refreshing Gel Cleanser
Review: This was a nice gel cleanser. It foamed well with the Clarisonic, but didn't leave my skin feeling dry or tight. The gel was really pretty as it had a kind of glittery iridescence to it. As with the Gentle Hydro Cleaner one, I found that this worked best with my Clarisonic but could also be used alone.
Would I repurchase? Yes

 

Alberto Balsam Coconut and Lychee Shampoo
Review: This is a lovely and cheap shampoo. It lathers nicely and cleans the hair well. It never left my hair feeling dry or stripped. The coconut scent is so yummy and the best thing is that it lingers in the hair!
Would I repurchase? Yes

Nads Ingrow Solution
Review: I have had this for ages and when I bought this I really liked the idea of how it helps to prevent ingrown hairs. I don't think this made much difference to be honest and found it to be a bit of a waste of money. It's jam packed with alcohol, meaning that it burns if you have any broken skin and always makes me cough when I spray it.
Would I repurchase? No

 

Max Factor False Lash Effect Mascara (Waterproof)
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Cowshed Wild Cow Invigorating Body Lotion
Review: This is a lovely moisturiser, which did wonders moisturising my skin. However I really hated the scent. It has essential oils of lemongrass, ginger and rosemary and the scent of lemongrass protruded the most, which I didn't like.
Would I repurchase? No

 


Carmex Lip Balm
Review: One of my favourite lips balms!
Would I repurchase? Yes

Dove Intensive Repair Express Treatment Conditioner
Review: I love this conditioner. I recently went through a phase of not using conditioner, however this has converted me back. It smelt lovely and left my hair feeling soft, nourished and not weighed down. 
Would I repurchase? Yes

 

These are just a few mini samples that I received from magazines, with purchases or through their websites. The Klorane shampoo and conditioner were alright, nothing special to be honest. The Body Shop body butter sample smelt so yummy. Even though it's chocolate scented, it didn't smell artificial. It left my skin feeling lovely and smooth.

What did you finish in January?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

January Favourites

Thursday 2 February 2012

Today's post is for my January favourites. I apologise in advance for repeating myself a million times!


By the way, I'm wearing my new glasses I mentioned here, so you can now see what they look like on :)
Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy