3 May 2012

Empty 4


Hello! I hope you're all good and enjoying this wonderful time of year; exam season. I joke of course, I cannot wait until the end of May when all exams will be over, I hate this time of year so much, talk about stress! I know so many people say this but it really is worrying how fast the time goes, I never seem to have time to do anything these days but now I finally have a chance to sit down and crack on with my empties post, of course blogging is one of the things I always want to do most but if I want to get somewhere in life I guess revision has to come first eh, I shall not rant for any longer, here are my April empties...

Britney Spears fantasy work your magic body souffle: 
I'm pretty sure you cannot buy this alone as it is another Christmas gift set product so I won't say too much. This is one of my favourite celebrity scents, a mix of fruity and sweet I would say and I really like the girly packaging. This body lotion has the exact same smell as the perfume which hangs around in a non-overpowering way. The product has a nice, light formula which absorbs quickly and definitely moisturises normal skin but is nothing intensive.

Simple gentle care shampoo: 
I really like Simple's skincare so thought I would try a shampoo from them, the brand that claim to have no unnecessary or harsh chemicals. I did think this would mean it wouldn't contain SLS, however, it does so isn't for those who react to SLS. It doesn't affect me though so it's all good, this shampoo did take a hell of a lot to lather up and I do like a good lather. Other than that it was a clear, nice consistency which did have a very slight, natural type scent despite not containing perfume but this didn't remain on the hair once it had dried. This is a really gentle shampoo and you may already know that I don't tend to notice a difference no matter what shampoo and conditioner I use and this was no different; my hair was left looking shiny and healthy. I think i'm  on the lookout for a volumizing shampoo/conditioner because my hair really is as flat as a pancake, any recommendations let me know! I even used this without conditioner to see if shampoo actually made any difference at all but it did! If you're wondering the goodness in this is vitamin B5 to enhance sheen, chamomile to soften and smoothe and glycerin for hydration and nourishment. You can buy this from Boots for £2.69 (200ml) so it's nice and cheap. I'm sure you can get it elsewhere too. 

L'oreal casting creme gloss conditioner: 
This is the teeny little white container you can just see by the way, the label came off with the water which annoys me, why make a label that can't deal with water when it's going to be in water! Anyhow, this is small and only comes with the casting creme gloss semi-permanent hair dyes, I did attempt to dye my hair lighter recently but it didn't turn out too well, my friend later told me my hair would have to be stripped, don't think i'm gonna bother. This conditioner is lovely and thick and has quite a strong, unique scent, I really cannot describe it. My mam loves it yet i'm not as keen, it's not too bad though and only slightly hangs around on dry hair. I like how you can feel results as soon as you wash this out and as per, my hair is left soft and shiny.

Boots conditioning nail polish remover: 
Although this has more of a fruity scent mixed in with the typical smell of acetone making it slightly more pleasant it is still very strong and will catch the back of your throat. However, this definitely didn't dry out my nails like some others do which was impressive and it removed polish pretty well, obviously darker polishes took a little longer and I did have to use a lot of it sometimes but all of my nail polish would be removed in the end so yes, I would repurchase. It's orange too which is cool I suppose. Easily pleased. This is £1.30 (150ml) from Boots.

Batiste tropical dry shampoo: 
This product is such a life saver. I have repurchased this over and over and have yet another new can waiting for me. I haven't tried many of the other versions because I love the scent of this one so much, it smells of coconut and other tropical goodness, it does stay in your hair too. This is so easy to use, just spray it on and as long as you massage it in well you won't be left with any white residue, I use this in between washes to disguise the greasiness and any other time to add some volume which it does a great job of whilst leaving your hair soft and both feeling and looking clean. It is sometimes a little hard to control how much comes out and if you end up using too much your hair can feel a little over powdery but a little extra massaging and it should be all good. The packaging seems to have changed from above on the Boots and Superdrug websites but my mam got me a new one the other day with the same packaging as above, hmm, I have no idea where she got it from. I do like the packaging by the way. Anyways, you can get this from Boots, Superdrug and many other places, it comes in various sizes too which is always good. 

MAC pro longwear foundation:
I was going to do a full review on this as this is the fourth bottle I have finished and I am almost done with another so I clearly do like it. However, I've decided i'm not going to repurchase and hunt down a cheaper alternative, once again, any recommendations please let me know! So, the obvious plus is the pump for easy control and I like how it locks securely to avoid any leakage. A glass bottle may not be too travel friendly but I like the sleek design, as for the colour, this is an NW20 and was, in reality, too dark although I thought I could get away with it whereas my newest one is an NC15 and is too yellow but once again isn't overly noticeable. It's such a shame they don't do an NW15 in this foundation because I think that would have been perfect! I also found that I needed a lot less product with the NW20 to get full coverage which is strange, meaning that my NC15 hasn't lasted me long at all. Anyways the plus points to this foundation are that it is medium to full coverage and lasts for a good 8-9 hours on the skin without transferring or looking much different which is a winner for me. The formula and feel is nice too, on myself it dries matte but becomes more natural and a little dewy throughout the day but not at all shiny or oily, for reference I have normal skin which fluctuates between slightly dry and slightly oily. It also has an SPF of 10. On the other end of the spectrum there are things that I don't love about this, apart from the whole shade thing I find that it dries very fast so you have to work at the speed of light to blend it well, doing a section at a time makes this easier though. I apply this with just a makeup sponge, I find it works better than hands or a traditional foundation brush. Also, I should probably mention that this foundation definitely has it's good and bad days, sometimes it can look a bit funny and patchy for no reason what so ever but when it's good, it's really good. You can buy this at MAC for £22.50 (30ml).

Johnson's dreamy skin night facial cleansing wipes
Just gonna start off by saying that these smell lovely! It is a really calming scent of moonflower aroma, perfect for a night time before you hit the hay. The wipes themselves are nice and thick, they are super soft with a lot of moisture and glide across the face like a dream. They removed face makeup well but I don't agree with the claim to remove waterproof mascara, I found that it took a lot to even remove normal mascara and they stung my eyes like crazy. I also felt like they left a residue on the skin, I like to use wipes in the morning too before my moisturiser but these aren't suitable for that, at night I cleanse afterwards so don't see it as much of a problem. However, although they claim to be for all skin types, these did sometimes irritate my skin a little. You get 25 in a packet from Superdrug at £3.05.

Boots essentials fragrance free cleansing wipes
I have mentioned these before but just thought I would give them another mention, not too sure why to be honest but these are great basic fragrance free wipes which don't irritate at all although after using the Johnson's ones I have noticed that these definitely aren't as soft and smooth as I once thought but they do the job of removing makeup without leaving any residue. They do remove mascara too, not extremely easily but they work. I like using these in the morning to make my face feel nice and clean before applying my makeup, I suppose I should really use my cleanser in the morning too but I just don't have time, would rather have an extra 5 minutes in bed. They are only £1.49 for 25 from Boots and are usually on a 3 for 2, cheap and cheerful! 

So there we have it, another long empties post from me. I have a good idea what will be appearing in this months empties which excites me. As for other news, I went to see the Hunger Games last week and really enjoyed it! I'm a big soppy girl at heart so usually stick to my usual romantic, lovey dovey, why isn't life really that way films but I do love a good action or horror film. I wasn't sure whether I was actually going to like it to be honest but I was really impressed, it was great! Have you seen it yet? I did try to take some outfit photos on that night so I could break my 'ootd' virginity but it just wasn't happening, the best I could get were mirror pictures that really didn't show off the outfit well. However, I shall keep trying! I think that's about it, I'm currently revising and trying to organise work experience, everywhere is full already! I'm looking to go into social work so if you have any ideas for places to try please let me know. I hope this post was helpful and not too ridiculously long.

Thanks for reading. Love, 
Rachael xx

20 comments :

  1. Great post - I love the smell of Fantasy, it's so pretty! <3

    Ellen xx

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    1. Thank you! Totally agree, it's lovely! xxx

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  2. I have the simple shampoo too and really like it :) I've heard so much about Fantasy as well, would love to try it as I'm definitely in need of a new perfume :) x

    http://bowtiedbeauty.blogspot.com/

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    1. I totally recommend Fantasy, it's really nice!
      Thanks for your comment x

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  3. i love posts like this! it's great seeing how people feel about products after the full experience! new follower, can't wait to catch up on your posts :)

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    1. Thankyou so much, I enjoy writing these posts :)

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  4. I like MAC pro longwear foundation I'm half way through my first bottle. I will nor re-purchase it as I think other foundation are much more better. I normally mix it with Revlon Photoready. Now I been trying Vichy foundation, it has medium coverage, does cost around £15, it's worth it one negative is the colour range, very small. x

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    1. I've just had a look at the Vichy one and really like the sound of it! I do often struggle to find a shade to suit me though, thanks for the recommendation! x

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  5. BS Fantasy all the way, I can bath in it I love it so much lol :D Have you tried dark blue one too (after midnigh fantasy or something like that), it's like sweets too :)

    United Kingdom Of Fashion

    xx

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    1. aah I really love it too, celeb fragrances are so underrated! I haven't tried that one but have seen it around, sounds lovely! Thanks xx

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  6. Thank you for the comment you left on my blog!
    Great post, I love posts like this!

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  7. My empties every month usually consist of facial wipes and dry shampoo :) haha

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    1. haha yep facial wipes and dry shampoo are necessities! x

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  8. great post! i'm tempted to try the MAC foundation but the price puts me off in case I fall in love and have to keep buying it again and again, haha xx

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    1. Thank you! Haha yeah that's what happened with me, I try something else but always repurchase this one, I'm determined to find a cheaper alternative this time though! xx

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  9. I love all of Britney Spears' perfumes, such summery scents! X

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Thank you for all your lovely comments.