Project Empties #16

Friday 31 August 2012

This month's empties contain a mix of products. I've been getting through a fair few products lately, but still have a long way to go before I achieve my goal of clearing my drawers and only having the necessities.
Vaseline Cocoa Butter Moisturising Body Butter
Review: This moisturiser was great. It left my body feeling soft and hydrated, without feeling greasy. Plus it smelt great! My main gripe was that it's in a tub, but I know you can buy this in a bottle, so I can get over that.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Garnier Anti-Dark Circles Concealer
Review: I really enjoyed this concealer. I know it's designed primarily for use under your eyes, but I also used it on areas with redness or discolouration (e.g. under my nose, on acne scars, etc.). It's a perfect lightweight concealer, which does not crease. I always thought the roller ball was a bit of a gimmick, but I have to admit it is nice and cooling under the eyes. 
Would I repurchase? Yes

Silvikrin Maximum Hold Hairspray
Review: I bought this as it was pretty cheap and the perfect size for my handbag. This hairspray had good hold once sprayed, but can feel a little crunchy. It also had a pretty strong smell, which isn't that bad, just very strong, but luckily it doesn't linger.
Would I repurchase? No

La Roche Posay Effaclar K Review: I'm a little undecided about this product. It left my skin feeling smooth and was a great base for makeup, however I don't think it lived up to my expectations with regards to blemishes. I didn't see hardly any differences with my skin when I used this. It isn't very moisturising, so if you have drier skin, then you would probably need a moisturiser over the top of it.
Would I repurchase? Maybe

Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser
Review: This is a nice and gentle, unscented cleanser. It's great for sensitive skin and I found it was a great cleanser for my morning routine as it's quick and easy to use. It isn't great at removing makeup, even after I have used Bioderma to remove the bulk of it.
Would I repurchase? Maybe

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair
Review: I absolutely love this. My skin always feels great after using this. It always feels soft and nourished the day after and I feel like it has helped even out my skintone a little. I can tell the difference on my skin between when I use it and when I don't. I've heard of people say that this has helped their blemishes, but it didn't make any difference with mine. It has a slightly funny smell to it, which doesn't linger once rubbed in. It's also pretty expensive, so if you're looking for an evening serum to splurge on, I would recommend this.
Would I repurchase? Yes

L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara
Review: Here
Would I repurcase? Yes


What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

August Wishlist

Wednesday 29 August 2012

I changed my header today... It's quite a bit smaller and less of a statement than my previous one, but I quite like the simplicity. What do you guys think?

I have recently received a few deposits back and feel like I'm in the money (I'm not). I know the sensible thing would be to save it, but I've been lusting after a few things lately.


Paula's Choice Targeted Blemish Relief Toner - My skin seems to go in circles. Sometimes it's clear, sometimes it breaks out like a b--. I have recently been looking into products with salicylic acid to try and clear my skin from within the pores and this Paula's Choice caught my eye.

Mulberry Lily - I tend to only use big bags, but that means I end up carrying lots of useless junk around. I have been lusting after this Mulberry Lily for ages, as I think it would be the perfect size bag for toting around during the day when I want to carry less and would transition well for night as well. I love the little horse shoe charm!

Taylor Swift Wonderstruck Perfume - I had a quick sniff of this in Boots last weekend and thought it was lovely. It's not the most grown up scent, but I thought it would be a nice transition from summer to autumn perfume. Plus, the packaging is absolutely gorgeous!

Mint Nike Freerun 3 - I am after a new pair of trainers as mine are getting old now. As soon as I saw these, I fell in love with the colour.

Enrapture Totem Styler - I have seen a million and one rave reviews about this hair curler and it has made me want it! I have the Babyliss conical wand, but don't really use it as I find the curls are always too uniform. I really like the versatility of the totem styler and the different styles you can create.

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser - I want to try something with light coverage for when my skin is clear. I've seen a few reviews about this and it sounds like my cup of tea. It also has spf 20, which is very useful.

What are you lusting after at the moment?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

NOTD: Lotus Rouge

Saturday 25 August 2012

1 coat of Chanel nail colour in 'Lotus Rouge'

I found this Chanel nail polish at a boot sale for a bank breaking 50pence! It didn't come with the square cap, but I didn't mind as it was only 50pence. You can't really buy much nowadays for 50pence.

The colour is a lovely deep raspberry red, which kind of reminds me of mix of Nails Inc Victoria and Nails Inc Piccadily Circus. This will be perfect for the upcoming Autumn and Winter months. The polish was really nice and easy to apply. It has a very opaque formula and only required 1 coat. The brush was flat and easy to use and control. I experienced a little tip wear on the nails after 1 day and eventually it started chipping after a few days.

xoxo, Joy

DIY Gift Bow

Thursday 23 August 2012

I actually saw this DIY on Pinterest and thought it was super cool and I'm all for upcycling. I recently had to wrap a friend's birthday present and decided to use a few pages from an issue of Stylist Magazine to wrap her present as I had no wrapping paper. I think it ended up looking pretty cool, so I thought I'd share it with you all.

I followed this tutorial on How About Orange, but I thought I'd include a quick picture summary of how to make the gift bows:


This is how the present ended up looking like. I used two MAC adverts.

What do you think of DIY gift wrapping?

xoxo, Joy

Book Club: Me Before You (Jojo Moyes)

Sunday 19 August 2012

Since I got my Kindle a month or so ago, I have read a lot of books (probably more than the past few years!), especially as I am commuting to and from London every day.

I'm not great at writing book reviews, but I thought I might start doing reviews of some of the books I read. I won't include any spoilers and the reviews will be fairly brief to be honest, but I thought it would be nice to let you know what I think of some of the books I read, in case any of you are thinking of reading them. I also have a goodreads account, but only really use it to rate books I have read and get recommendations. If you use goodreads too, then let me know your username!

Today's review is of 'Me Before You' by Jojo Moyes. I started this book earlier this week and finished it yesterday.


It took me a few chapters to really get into the book, but once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The book was easy to read and the characters were generally likeable and easy to relate to. I would classify this as a chick lit book, but it is definitely not your typical chick lit. It has the romance aspect (boy meets girl, etc etc), but it doesn't happen in a typical way. It also addresses a difficult situation, which has actually been in the news recently, which makes you think about some rather controversial and ethical issues.

This book really played on my emotions. There were some bits that made me laugh out loud (cue some weird looks on the train) and times where I would feel tears rolling down my face. The ending was expected, but unexpected - if that even makes sense. I really liked the pace of how the story progressed and the way the story developed.

The majority of the chapters were written from the perspective of Louisa, one of the main characters. A few random chapters throughout the book were from the perspective of other characters, such as Louisa's sister and Will's parents. I thought it was nice to get an alternative viewpoint from the less significant characters as it gives another perspective and in my opinion ties all the characters together. I was disappointed, however, that there wasn't a chapter from Will's perspective as I think it would have been interesting to know how he felt directly.

RATING: 

I'm sorry if this review was terribly boring and I hope it wasn't too spoiler-ish. Have you ever read this book?

What have you read recently?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Cling Film Manicure

Tuesday 14 August 2012

Leanne posted a picture and tutorial of the saran wrap manicure (aka cling film manicure in the UK) and it seemed fairly simple, so I thought I'd give it a go.


The base colour is Models Own 'Utopia' and the top colour is H&M 'Blue My Mind'. I really love how it looks and I like how each nail looks different! I think it's great as a top coat if your current nail colour is looking a little worse for wear or if you don't have time to change your nail colour. I will definitely be doing this again as it was so simple to do and only took about 5 minutes!

What do you think? Will you be trying the cling film/saran wrap manicure?

xoxo, Joy

Review: Bioderma Sensibio H2O

Saturday 11 August 2012



I bought the Bioderma Sensibio H2O after hearing a lot of hype about it. And I have to admit that I absolutely love it. I used to use face wipes to remove my eye makeup and the bulk of my makeup, but after using the Bioderma, I won't ever go back. I tend to use this mainly to remove my eye makeup.

It doesn't leave a greasy residue or have a fragrance, which is great for my sensitive skin. The Bioderma is gentle on the eye area and has never stung my eyes. It removes my eye makeup effectively, but isn't one of those instantaneous makeup removers. For my eyes, I hold a cotton pad over each eye for about 10-15 seconds, gently moving it a little/massaging the eye make-up and then swiping the cotton pad over the eye. I usually do this 2-3 times to fully remove my eye makeup. It does remove waterproof eye makeup effectively, however it does involve a few more attempts and numerous cotton pads.

The main disadvantage is that it can be hard to get hold of. It is more commonly available now, via eBay and a few online merchants. However I wish it was one of those brands where you could just pop into town and go into Boots or Superdrug and pick it up, rather than wait for it to be delivered.

I bought my bottle for £13.90 from eBay via the seller zandk-natural, who I have used a few times. I had no problems with my order and it arrived within a few days. I bought my 500ml bottle in May and even though I use this every day, I still have approximately 1/2 the bottle left.

Have you used the Bioderma Sensibio H2O?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Review: Primark Natural Look False Lashes

Thursday 9 August 2012

I got too excited and forgot to take a picture before playing around with them!

Top: Falsies on one eye (Sorry that you can see the glue along the lash line as it wasn't fully dry)
Bottom: Full set of falsies

I picked up these natural look falsies from Primark for just £1 and I thought I'd share my thoughts with you. I found the strip to be really long. I had to cut off approximately 1cm to make them fit my eye, but that may be due to my oriental eye shape. The band was very straight and not particularly flexible. I had to wriggle it and wrap it around my mascara tube a few times before applying. The glue that attaches the falsies to the packaging was a pain to get off, but I wonder if that's just on the set that I got. I actually didn't manage to get it all off because it would not budge, plus it got really fiddly. I think the falsies do look fairly natural. I wish my eye lashes were this long in real life!! They give my lashes a lovely amount of length and make them look a little thicker, without looking too overpowering. I think these would be great for daytime events and I actually wore them to my friend's party that I blogged the OOTD for last week. The lashes didn't feel heavy at all and stayed on all night. Overall, I'm definitely happy with these falsies. They're definitely amazing for only £1 a set!

Have you ever tried these? What brand are your favourite falsies?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Olympic Fever

Monday 6 August 2012

At the weekend, my family and I were lucky enough to visit the Olympic Village/Athlete's park. The Olympic Village is separate from the Olympic Park, where the Olympic stadium, aquatics center, etc. are. The Olympic Village is where all the athlete's accommodation, dining halls, gyms, etc are. We have a family friend who is volunteering at the London 2012 games and he was able to get us guest passes to walk around the village. It was such an amazing experience and one I won't forget in a long time!

I am going to upload a vlog from my visit up on my Youtube channel within the next few days. I had 50+ clips to sort through (!) but it's all editted now, but I just need to find some music for it then I will upload it and share the link here. (EDIT: The vlog is here). In the meantime, I thought I'd share a few pictures of my day with you:

Outfit details: Jacket - Primark, Top - Topshop, Jeans - Urban Outfitters, Shoes - Miss KG, Bag - Mulberry



Team GB accommodation




We had the opportunity to dine in the main dining hall (which you can see behind the statue above), where all the athletes dine and it was so cool. It was the biggest canteen I have ever seen! They were serving food from all over the world and also had a mini McDonalds! As we were coming in, I saw Michael Phelps and Nathan Adrian (swoon, hehe!) as they were leaving before their 4x100m race that night. I had a bit of a fangirl moment, haha, but was too nervous to even go up to them to say anything. I also spotted Victoria Pendleton at one point, which was really cool.

Have you been following the Olympics this year?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #15

Saturday 4 August 2012

Today's post is about this month's empty products. I am slowly working through the products that I own, however my supply never seems to go down! My drawers still look as full as ever!


Neutrogena Multi-Defence Daily Moisturiser
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Maybe

La Roche-Posay Effaclar M
Review: This is a nice and light moisturiser. It never leaves my skin feeling greasy or heavy and as a nice fresh scent. It does a nice job of helping to keep the oil at bay, although I do still get shiny towards the middle-end of the end. I occasionally find that it isn't hydrating enough on the drier areas of my skin, especially my nose and cheeks.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask
Review: I absolutely love this! I tend to use this overnight so that it has longer to work. It leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated. It never broke me out and doesn't feel heavy or greasy on the skin. Plus it smells amazing! 
Would I repurchase? Yes

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish
Review: Here
Would I repurchase? Yes

Palmolive Nourishing Delight Shower Gel
Review: This smells so yummy. It leaves my skin feeling soft and clean and never felt drying on the skin. It's super affordable and can often be found on offer for less than £1!
Would I repurchase? Yes

L'Oreal Touche Magique (Shade C1-2)
Review: This is a great concealer for under the eyes. This is a pink toned concealer, which really helped to brighten the under eye area. It never creased or felt drying around the eye area. Sometimes if I forgot to put on eye cream, I found that it sunk a little into my fine lines.
Would I repurchase? Yes

Eylure Naturalites 101 (I classed these as an 'empty' as they have unfortunately come to the end of their lives)
Review: These are my favourite falsies. They're super long and voluminous and look lovely on. They really open up the eyes and make them look bigger. They don't feel heavy at all. If you're after a dramatic lash, which isn't too thick then these would be perfect!
Would I repurchase? Yes

What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

July Favourites 2012

Wednesday 1 August 2012

Today I thought I would share my favourites from July with you:

Haha, Youtube always choose such unfortunate thumbnails

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy