September Favourites 2012

I'm really sorry my September Favourites are a little late! Usually when I post my monthly favourites on here, I tend to upload a picture and link you to my Youtube channel as I do a monthly favourites video every month. I was thinking about this recently and I kind of felt bad for just posting a picture and then linking to a video, as most people aren't too interested in watching my Youtube videos. So I have decided to write a summary in the blogpost about the products I love each month:

I never thought I would say this, but I have been enjoying using this Revlon Matte blush in 'Perfectly Peach'. When I first bought and swatched it, I couldn't get over how unpigmented it was and it got relegated to the back of my makeup drawers. Recently I dug it out again in a bid to use it up and I discovered that with the right brush (I use the ELF stipple brush), it leaves a lovely natural looking peachy pink flush to the cheeks. It is a matte blush, but somehow adds a pretty glow to the cheeks. It lasts really well too, which is great.

I have been alternating between the Revlon Matte blush and Benefit Dallas this month. Dallas is a gorgeous red-toned blush, which is a bit like a mix between a bronzer and a blush. I used to wear this every single day and kind of forgot about it. But I'm glad I rediscovered this! It gives such a lovely colour on the cheeks and has a slight shimmer, which isn't obvious but gives a nice glow. I have a blog post (from over 2 years ago!) where I show a dupe of Dallas, so if you're interested then check it out here.

I finished my can of Batiste Original in the middle of the month and picked up the Batiste Tropical version. I definitely prefer this as it smells amazing (coconuts!) and doesn't leave that unsightly white residue on my hair, like the Original did. It gives my hair a boost of life when it's looking a little worse for wear on my second day and I have been using it more often than before.

I neglected my Clarisonic when I went home for the summer and I have been loving using it again this month. I took apart the brush head to make it better for precision cleaning around my nose and cheeks after watching Nur's video on Youtube (here). I feel like my pores look much clearer now that I've started using this again and my skin in general also looks clearer and more even. I have been loving using it with the Elemis Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing Facial Wash, as it is a lovely cleanser that leaves my skin feeling soft and looking brighter. I am going to post a more in depth review soon, which I will link when it's live.

If you watch my monthly favourites videos on Youtube, you will know I always include a random favourite of the month. This month, I have been loving these Links of London style friendship bracelets. I have been lusting after a Links of London friendship bracelet for a while now, but couldn't justify the £150-ish price tag. My mum kindly bought these dupes for me when she went to China. I love the look of the bracelets, as they're a nice twist on a traditional thread friendship bracelet and look great dressed up or down. I have been wearing the red and pink one pretty much every day since I got them and I have found it goes with everything. They look great stacked with other bracelets and on their own.

What were you loving in September?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #13

This month I have finished very few products, but I thought I'd quickly share them with you. I have written reviews for most of the products already, so I will link those below.

I have been loving using the view from my window as a background for my photos recently!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation

Review: Here

Would I repurchase? Yes

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish

Review: Here

Would I repurchase? Yes

Neal's Yard Remedies Rehydrating Rose Daily Moisture

Review: Here

Would I repurchase? Yes

Clarisonic Refining Skin Polish

Review: This was a nice gritty body exfoliator. It had fairly large exfoliating particles and a pleasant fruity smell. It never left a greasy residue on my skin and left it feeling nice and smooth. It worked well on its own and with the Clarisonic body brush.

Would I repurchase? Yes

As you can see, I have used up some well loved products which I will definitely repurchase. What have you finished this month?

Thank you for reading. xoxo, Joy

Project Empties #10

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

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

Project Empties #9

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

Project Empties #8

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and I hope Santa got you everything you wanted! :D

Today I have a few finished products to share with you. I've realised that I hardly ever have any finished make-up to show! So I really need to make more of an active effort to start working through my collection as I am trying to downsize. Let's hope there are some more make-up items in my next Project Empties post!


Avene Extremely Gentle Cleanser Review: To be honest, this cleanser isn't really anything special. However I really liked it! It's super gentle, which was great for times when my skin was feeling delicate or when I broke out and it is pretty effective at removing make-up. I like that it's scentless and you get a generous amount of product for £8 or so. Would I repurchase? Yes
Clarisonic Gentle Hydro Cleanser Review: This had a strong cucumbery scent, which I didn't like and I didn't like the texture of it either. I liked that it was nice and gentle, so it's perfect for sensitive skin. It worked well with my Clarisonic, however I used it a few times on its own and didn't find that it was a particularly great cleanser. It didn't dry out my skin and left it feeling clean and soft.   Would I repurchase? No

No7 Radiance Revealed Exfoliator Review: Here Would I repurchase? Yes
Clean&Clear Shine Control Daily Facial Moisturiser  Review: This moisturiser was a bit pants to be honest. It claims to help control shine, but I found that it made no difference. It is a light moisturiser, which I sometimes felt wasn't moisturising enough. It has a lovely citrus and zingy scent, which is nice for the mornings.  Would I repurchase? No
Boots Witch Hazel Review: I've been using this witch hazel as a toner or as part of my DIY toner. It's a great size bottle for only £2-ish and it has lasted me ages. Would I repurchase? Yes
Clearasil Overnight Serum  Review: I bought this on a whim, as I was looking at in Boots (for £7-something) and then saw it for sale in none other than Poundland! It made no difference whatsoever on my breakouts and I'm glad I only paid £1 for this.  Would I repurchase? No
Next Diamonds Review: This is supposedly a dupe of Dior's 'Miss Dior Cherie'. I'm not sure if it is, but it is a lovely sweet and girlie perfume. I thought it was a perfect scent for summer, so wore it loads through the summer and autumn months, before recently transitioning to a heavier scent (Chanel 'Coco Mademoiselle', in case you're wondering). I had this for approximately a year and a half and noticed that the scent changed a little as I neared the end of the bottle, so I would advise to get through this quickly if you do purchase it. It's a great price at only £6 for 30ml! Would I repurchase? Yes
L'Oreal Voluminous Review: Here Would I repurchase? Yes    Finished Products: 8 Accumulative Finished Items from December 2010 to December 2011: 40! What have you finished up recently? Thanks for reading. xoxo, Joy

Review: Clarisonic Pro

I bought my Clarisonic back in September and thought it was about time to do a review of it! I thought I'd do a video review for a bit of change, but it ended up being a bit of a mess and in a random order. I just kept talking and new comments kept popping into my head as I talked! Also, I apologise in advance for the state of my hair and my monotone! Haha.

Do any of you have a Clarisonic? What do you think of it - worth the money or complete rip off?

Thank you for watching. xoxo, Joy