Wednesday 28 September 2016

Nails Of The Day - Primark PS Gel Effect Nail Polish

There are lots of things that annoy me as a blogger, but probably my biggest bugbear at the moment is brands who don't give their shades or colours names. Numbering shades is bad enough but how hard can it honestly be to give your colours a name even if it's something as simple as Red or Blue! This nail polish is a case in point,  some of the other polishes in the Primark PS Gel Effect Nail Polish  range have names but unfortunately this one doesn't.


Despite it's lack of a name, this polish really is a beauty. I'm totally obsessed with blue and lilac nail polish shades and this one falls slap bang in the middle. It's a lilacy, blue, periwinkle, almost forget me not shade and I love it.


These gel polishes are packaged in a chunky square bottle that reminds me a lot of the new style Nails Inc colours and treatments. It has a chunky lid which is quite hard to paint with but like both the Chanel and Nails Inc bottles you can pull off the outer lid, revealing a textured, easy to grip handle.


The brush inside is super wide and surprising good quality. It's really easy to paint with, and since I have quite thin nails I managed to paint most of them with just the one swipe. The polish itself is quite thick so the coverage is decent but as per usual I've painted on two coats here so you can see the full depth of colour. The polish is pretty self levelling though and it dries pretty quickly leaving a super glossy finish.



What surprised me most about this polish though was the wear time, I managed nearly a weeks wear with only minor touch ups, and 1 coat of top coat. For just £1.50 for a 10ml bottle, I think this polish  is well worth the money; the quality was superb and I love the colour, I just wish it had a name! Does it bother you when shades aren't named? Let me know your thoughts and I'd love to know what you think about this colour x

Tuesday 27 September 2016

I'm Back - Changes And A Life Update

Hi Guys x After a little break I'm back again x I want to start off this post with a huge thank you to all of you for your tweets, Facebook messages and emails regarding the passing of my godfather. I've really appreciated all of your thoughts and kind words and it really has helped me over the last fortnight.

It's been a rough few weeks with lots of sadness, and tears but as a family we've also shared a lot of happy memories and we've renewed a lot of relationships, as we came together to celebrate my godfathers life. Things won't be easy as we start to move forward and there will be a lot of hard days and changes ahead but we'll deal with them together, as an extended family.

I really needed to take some time away from the blog and I'm pleased that I did, but after a week or so's break I was ready and raring to go again, so on Saturday I turned on my laptop on to do some work on the blog and on my You Tube channel, and them WHAM, a black screen and then the message Unable To Boot Device, Hard Drive Not Found! Argh! If you follow me on twitter you'll know that this happened a couple of weeks ago but thankfully it righted itself and I was able to back up all of my photos and my videos just in case it all went belly up again, and predictably it did.

This time though there was no going back and instead of throwing good money after bad, I decided to take the plunge and buy something new instead of getting my Acer repaired yet again! Thanks to my own hard work and my amazing family I was able to get myself a shiny new MacBook Pro!

I'm not going to lie, the switch from Windows to Apple, has been a little harder than I anticipated. As well as getting used to a whole new system, my backups didn't go quite to plan, so i now have 3000 photos to sort through, and my videos are all saved in the wrong format so I need to convert them and get to grips with iMovie at the same time. What have I done!!!

I've managed to edit and upload a video today with only a minor issue with the end titles so I'm feeling pretty proud of myself. I've also managed to edit some photographs and install a few programmes so fingers crossed it won't take too long to get used to it, and hopefully I'll be an Apple convert before I know it!

So at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'm back again and this time I'm back for good. I'm still going to have illness nightmares and lots of family time but I think it's about time I showed my little old blog and my You Tube channel, the love they deserve!. I'll start off gently tomorrow with a nails of the day post, but then I'll be getting back on track with plenty of hauls, and some beauty reviews. Thank you as per usual for all of your support, and for taking the time to read my blog, watch my videos or even to read my tweets or to look at my Instagram or Snapchat pictures x Don't forget to let me know what you'd like to see on the blog or any of my other social media channels - I really do appreciate your input x Thanks for reading x



Monday 12 September 2016

Sad News In LouLouLand


Me And My Godfather Around 1978 

Hi Guys x If you follow me on twitter then you already know that over the weekend I lost someone that was very dear to me, my Godfather x

Judging by the difficulty in finding Godparents, Godfather, or Godmother cards in the majority of card shops. Godparents perhaps don't seem to have the role in children's lives that they used to, but they certainly had, and have a role in mine.

Families are complicated in so many cases and my family is no different but my parents chose my Godparents from within the family, and I'm forever grateful that they chose my dads cousin and her husband.

They've supported, and been there for me in so many ways over the years, from attending school concerts and carol services (I was in the school choir believe it or not!), to spending Christmas with us every year, and ultimately being there with us on the night that my dad passed away. My Godparents were probably the family members apart from my mum that I'm the closest too and losing one part of that support team hurts.

Over the past few years things haven't been easy for them they were both well into their 80's and if you've follow me on any social network for a while then you'll know that they've had their fair share of health problems ranging from the big C, to my Godfathers stroke around this time last year.

You always think that the people that you love are going to be there for ever, but one of the certainties of life is that they won't be, and last week my Godfather was rushed to hospital, and instead of being released after a day or so, and declaring he was fine, in the early hours of Sunday morning with my Godmother at his bedside he peacefully slipped away

Thankfully my Godmother has has solid extended family group to support her but I can't imagine what it must feel like to lose your soul mate and your husband of over 60 years. Although like most family members we butted heads on occasions with rapidly differing views on certain topics and modern life, I will miss him terribly he was a firm stabilising influence in my life and a real gentleman to boot.

I won't be taking a specific blogging and You Tube break but my family is much more important to me at this moment in time, so posting and uploading may be sporadic for a couple of weeks. In reality you probably won't notice much of a difference but I thought I better keep you updated just in case I disappear for a while x Thanks for your kind words on social media,and thanks in advance for you support and understanding x

Sunday 11 September 2016

Late August Primark Haul - Clothes, Beauty And More

Operation catch up resumes today with another haul. As I said before I've got quite a few beauty hauls coming up over the next few weeks but I don't want to bore you so I'm going to try and break it up a bit with some reviews and some non beauty related hauls.

Today I'm going to share a little or should I say largish, Primark haul with you. I've been feeling a bit mehh about clothes shopping lately but thanks to the new autumn and winter arrivals, I can at last feel my enthusiasm returning and as a result I picked up a few pieces that I'm really looking forward to wearing.


The first thing that I got is this ribbed Bardot style dress. I already got this in black in a previous Primark haul (have a read of it here) but this is the dusky pink version which was £8.


Although this is sold as a dress, on me it would be way too short, so I will be wearing it as a tunic, over leggings, skinny trousers or skinny jeans.

The next thing that I got is another dress come tunic, but I think I could probably get away with wearing this one as dress.


I love the paisley, floral print and I love the silky smooth fabric. I already have a tunic / dress in a different print but in the same fabric from Primark and I love. It has a such a light and airy feel, and feels gorgeous against the skin. This was £9 and I think it comes in a few different colours and patterns.


My name is Louise and I'm addicted to shirts and blouses! Over the past of couple of years I've fallen in love with shirts and blouses in a big way. One of my go to outfits is a bright or a patterned shirt and a pair of skinny jeans or jeggings. It just works for me and people always remember me for my gaudy shirts. I love my bright and floral print shirts but I fancied a bit of change so after seeing on a few blogs and instagram accounts, I decided to hunt it down.



For me this is very subtle but I couldn't resist the tiny, ditsy black and white bee (or are they wasps?) print. Primark shirts are never the most generous of fit on me and despite going for the largest size it's still very gappy and bursty so I'll probably be wearing this slightly unbuttoned and with a white vest underneath it. Still it was just £7 and I can't resist a cute print, speaking of which...


Another cute print and this time it's a navy blue vest covered in tiny white stars, I know we're moving into autumn but I wear vest tops and camisoles all year round, whether they're under shirts, jumpers or even cardigans. I like layering and this is a cute piece that I'll get a lot of wear out of. It was £4


Thanks to being ill so often and feeling permanently exhausted I have a lot of duvet days and I spend a lot of time in my PJs - I currently have 5 drawers full of nightwear but I just can't stop buying more, and especially love cute pj's like these ones.


I'm a huge Miffy fan, and I couldn't resist these PJ separates. The over sized, raglan style, stripey top was £7 and on the front it has a fluffy Miffy design which is super soft and stroke able.


I also got the matching legging style, cuffed PJ pants, which are £8 and are charcoal grey and have a white Miffy design printed on the legs.


That was it for clothing but I did buy one jewellery piece, these sparkly hoop earrings which were just £1.50.


You can't see them too well in either of these pictures unfortunately but they are basically just a gold tone hope, with 6 gold tone, rings which are covered in clear crystals, threaded through them. I'm trying to wear more exciting earrings and I think that these hoops work perfectly with the gold, and silver hoops that I normally wear.


Seeing as I was in the Newcastle store, I had a little look at some of Primark's new home wear additions and although there were plenty of things that I liked, I stayed strong and just bought a throw for my mam and some stationery. I love Primark's stationery selection and they have some lovely stuff at the moment, including the new collection from Gabriella aka VelvetGh0st but if your loving the copper and rose gold tone look at the moment then Primark is where you need to be. As well as some gorgeous hangers and coat hooks they also have a few copper tone stationery pieces and I couldn't resist jumping on the bandwagon with this cute set.


Packaged in a reusable craft style, organiser box. This set contains a slim ruled notepad, some drawing pins, some paperclips and some bulldog style clips all in a gorgeous rose gold. It also contains 5 pencils, with different words embossed on them including Plan, Own It, Boss, Believe and Because. At £5 this isn't the cheapest set you can buy but when you look at rose gold, and copper toned bits in other stores it looks like a bargain.

I said at the beginning that this wasn't a beauty haul but I did have a good look at the beauty section and I did end up buying a few make up brushes.


I've already bought a few brushes from this range at Primark and I have to say that I'm really impressed with them for the price. The brushes are good quality and the matte black and rose gold makes them look a lot more expensive than what they actually are.



I already own one of the PS Concealer Brushes but it's such a versatile brush that for just £1 I had to pick up another one.


I honestly can't remember if I already have this brush  but eyeshadow brushes never come in wrong so I also picked the PS Double End Smokey Brush, it has a rounded flat end and it has a thinner more pencil shaped end for more detailed application. This one was just £1.50.



The final brush that I got was the PS Precision Eyeliner Brush which was also £1. I'm trying to get back into wearing liner and I'm a real cream or gel eyeliner girl, I normally prefer a short, flat ended brush but I also use and love the Real Techniques silicone, thin tipped eyeliner brush. The tip of this brush is almost identical to the Real Techniques one which is nearly 6 times the price, so I'm interested to see how it compares.



So that was my latest Primark haul as per usual I've made a video to accompany this haul which you can watch via this link or below.



I'm definitely planning another Primark trip in the next week or so, so I'd love to know what bargains you've picked up recently, so leave me a comment or a link below and let me know xx

Friday 9 September 2016

Nails Of The Day - Roxanne Campbell Violets Are Blue*

Hi Guys x Happy Friday x I've got another nails of the day for you today and today I'm featuring another shade from celebrity manicurist Roxanne Campbell's debut nail polish collection.


This name of this shade is Violets Are Blue, and it is a beautiful bright cobalt blue, but as per usual none of my pictures are doing this beautiful shade justice.




Like the previous colour I tried Stormy Weather this one dries slightly darker but in real life it's a lot more vibrant than it looks it here. I've tried my best and fiddled with some filters but this is one of those colours that looks way better in the flesh than it does on a computer screen


Again the formulation was good, the polish was slightly thicker than Stormy Weather and as a result it did seem to a dry a bit more slowly. The coverage was excellent though and due to the self levelling formulation, with careful application you could possibly get away with applying just the one coat. As per usual though I've gone with two coats which not only improves the wear time but it leave your nails with a full coverage, super glossy finish.

I'm a huge fan of blue nail polishes and this one is one of this best that I've tried. It's the perfect creamy cobalt, but unlike a lot of cream formulations this one doesn't look flat, it's shiny and full of life, and it would look great on any skin tone. If your a fan of blue nail polishes like me, then this is definitely one to try. Roxanne Campbell Nail Lacquer in Violets Are Blue comes in a 12ml bottle and retails at £10 and it's currently available exclusively on the Roxanne Campbell website. Don't forget to take a look at my previous Roxanne Campbell post to find out more about her and the brand but if you have any questions on this polish please leave me a comment and I'll try and get back to you as quickly as I can x

*Sample

Sunday 4 September 2016

My Benefit Cosmetics Brow Experience* And A Haul

As much as I love make up and own way too much of it I have to admit I'm often pretty lazy when it comes to applying it. If I can skip a step or a product then I probably will. Wearing glasses as I do, my eyes are usually pretty well hidden so I don't always see the point in wearing eyeliner, or false lashes and up until recently my brows received nothing more than the a cursory glance and a quick comb.

Yes, I attacked them with the tweezers and occasionally I used a brow gel or a pencil, but by and large I just let them be. There are a lot of trends though in make up and one of the hottest trends of the moment is a perfectly groomed eyebrow, I dutifully bought a few extra brow products but I just didn't "get it" thanks to Benefit Cosmetics though now I do get it and I understand the difference that a good brow can make to your face, even if you do wear glasses like I do.

A few months ago now I was lucky enough to be invited along to the Benefit Cosmetics counter in Debenhams, in Newcastle.to take a look at their new brow collection, and to have a complimentary brow treatment.

Founded in San Francisco in 1976, Benefit consider themselves as brow experts, and last year they waxed and groomed over a million sets of brows in the UK alone. Basically they know what they're doing and despite feeling a little nervous about the idea of hot wax, I knew that I was safe in their very friendly and capable hands.


Unlike a lot of companies and salons, Benefit treat every customer as an individual they don't use any stencils, instead they use a special brow mapping tool, and years of experience to create the perfect brow shape, for your face and for your lifestyle. I'm pretty useless at names but the lovely one of their make up artists mapped my brows and then told where I'd been going wrong! Well basically everywhere! My own brows were sparse, totally over plucked and I'd  pretty much lost my natural shape and my brow tails! What can I say? skinny brows were a trend at the time but thankfully Benefit had to products and the expertise to help me create my own wow brows.


I then had a chance to look at some of the products in the new Benefit Brow collection before she expertly showed me how to apply some of the products to create various brow looks, depending on different aspects of my lifestyle and what look I was going for. The difference was already phenomenal but the best was yet to come.


It seemed a shame to wipe all that make up off but that's exactly what Dean, the counters brow specialist did. My make up was wiped off, and I then had to fill in a form and then it was shaping time. Dean was really friendly and again gave me some advice regarding my brow shape, and what I could do to improve it, he then waxed and perfected my current brow shape and got rid of the strays and stragglers. As a regular tweezer I'm now a warm wax convert, it hurt way less, and the finish and crispness was way better than anything that I could ever achieve with tweezers! It's around £14.50 for a basic brow wax but for me it now a necessity not a luxury!

Unlike a lot of companies Benefit don't let you go home with sore looking brows, Dean applied a soothing after wax solution, before covering the slight redness with Benefit's famous Boing Concealer, and then filling my brows in with various products to make my brows look magazine cover ready.

At last I get it! get your shape right,and fill in the gaps in your brows, and it really can look as though you've had a face lift. My face looked lifted, my eyes looked wider, and I just looked more polished and alive. I haven't managed any good photos unfortunately but there are a couple of before and afters on my Instagram page but it's safe to say that I'm now a Benefit brow convert. I've followed Dean's advice to the letter and I haven't put a pair of tweezers near my eyes since, I've had Benefit waxes every month for the past three months now and along with using some of the Benefit  brow products I can really see the difference in the shape and growth of my brows, and from someone who barely owned a brow product, I now have a large collection based on the look that I'm going for and how long I have to do my make up.

The lovely Benefit counter staff recommend quite a few products in the range, and whilst I would ultimately love to own the entire brow collection, I just bought some of the initial products that they recommended and I can always add to my stash later.


The first product that I bought Browvo is probably my favourite product from the new line and it was recommended to me as my must have. Browvo is a conditioning eyebrow primer, that is crammed full of vitamins and minerals, and conditioners including soy protein and keratin. Packaged in their new space age, silver packaging, Browvo comes in a twist up style applicator with a soft, nodule, spike, covered head, twist it up, and simply apply the gel to clean, dry brows. You can either use this gel at night to help to thicken the brow hairs, and encourage growth, or you can use it as a conditioning treatment and as a primer under the rest of your brow products. I have to say I'm loving this one, it's already made an appearance in my July / August Favourites video (coming soon), and I really think it's helped to improve both the growth rate and the thickness of my brow hairs. Benefit Browvo Conditioning Eyebrow Primer retails at £21.50

The next product that was recommended to me was the Precisely My Brow Pencil in shade 4, which is one of Benefit's medium shades. In the new brow collection all of the coloured products bar Gimme Brow comes in 6 shades, ranging from the palest of the pale, to jet black  and I was matched to shade 4. Precisely My Brow is a twist up brow pencil, with a spoolie on the end that doesn't need sharpening. This pencil is one of the most natural products in the line, and  creates very fine almost hair like strokes, making it  ideal for filling in gaps in your brows in a natural way. Precisely My Brow Pencil retails at £18.50.


If the natural look isn't for you, then the Goof Proof brow pencil is probably more your cup of tea. Again I got this in shade 4 and like the Precisely pencil is a non sharpening twist up pencil, with a spoolie on the end. This pencil though is a look thicker and it an almost diamond shaped tip. Use the tip and you can create hair like strokes and use it flat and you can fill in much larger areas. Goof Proof Eyebrow Pencil also retails at £18.50

As I say there are a few other things I would like to add to my own personal Benefit brow collection, but they will have to wait, in the meantime though I did manage to pick up a few Benefit brow items free with some magazine, including one of the things that I really wanted try, Ready Set Brow.



Although they were only minis, I ended up buying two magazines to get two, This is basically just a clear brow gel that you can either wear on it own, or you can use it to set and extend the wear of your other brow products. I've tried this a few times and again I'm a convert and I'll definitely be buying the full size.It's great for flattening out those stray and spiky hairs and for setting other products without leaving your brows rock solid and stiff.

Next up Gimme Brow, and like Browzings this is a product that already existed in the Benefit inventory but it's been brought right up to date and repackaged in the new silver, futuristic packaging. It now comes in an extra shade, so you can choose from 1, Light, 3, Medium and 5 Deep. I'm a 4 and I've been told that I would probably now be a 3 in Gimme Brow, but this Glamour freebie only came in 1 and 5 so I decided to try the Deep shade for a different look.


Another magazine was also giving away mini Goof Proof's but again they didn't have the full colour selection so I ended going for 2. It's a touch light for me but I'm think I might be able to use it like the new 3D Brow Tones, to add some highlights and depth to my brows.


No longer am I the girl with just a couple of brow products with this little lot and some stuff that I've bought and acquired I'm now well sorted when it comes to brow products. If you would like any individual reviews of any of these products then please let me and you can also let me know if you'd like to see any reviews of these classic Benefit products.


I'm a sucker for a mini, and these travel sizes were placed next to the tills in Boots and they just fell into my basket! You could choose from 4 mini products and you got a few clear cosmetics bag. I went for a few old favourites and something new.


Benetint was one of Benefit's first ever products and it remains one of their most popular and for good reason. On first appearance it looks like nail polish but this rosy red, rose scented liquid can be used as either a lip stain or as a cheek colour, I also chose a mini 4ml size of High Beam. High Beam was the first ever Benefit product that I owned, I loved Victoria Beckham's sharp iridescent cheekbones, and this was supposedly the product that she used all those year ago,  and it's something that I still use and love today. I just pop a tiny bit of this pale pink, shimmery highlighting cream onto my cheek bones and onto my brow bone and I'm good to go. I also got a 4ml bottle of Posie Tint, Posie Tint is one of the newer editions but it's something else that I love, again it resembles nail polish but it add a flash of creamy pink to both your lips and your cheeks and you should know by now that I'm partial to a bit of pink.

The final product that I got is something that I haven't actually seen in the full size. Benefit's Boing 02 / Eye Bright Duo, which combines two of Benefit's most popular complexion products Boing Concealer and Eye Bright in the one compact. I'm normally shade 1 in Boing which I love and that also features in my July / August favourites but this is shade 2 which is a little bit darker. It should still work for me though when I have a tan or I could always use it for contouring. I really bought it though for the Eye Bright which is something that I haven't used in this format, I've used the pencil which is great for getting rid of darkness around the eye area but this is the cream version which I haven't actually seen elsewhere before and I'm looking forward to trying.


I've always loved Benefit Cosmetics but after being introduced to their new brow collection and their brow services, I'm even more of a convert than I was before, and I would definitely recommend that you give them a go, if you want to try out some of the latest and most innovative brow products on the market. You can find out a little bit more about my brow experience and find out a little bit more about the products I bought in the accompanying You Tube video which you can watch via this link or below.



I actually have a few more Benefit Cosmetics hauls to come including a sale haul post, and a combined haul and review post on some of their newest products. I'm going to you guessing for a little while but this picture below might give you a few hints :)


Thanks for reading and if you have any questions on any of the products or things that I've talked about in this post, or if you would like any full reviews then please leave me a comment and I'll get back to you xx

*The Brow Mapping And First Wax Was Complimentary But I've Paid For Every Subsequent Wax And All Of The Products Featured Myself

Friday 2 September 2016

Trimming My Stash And A Life Update - August 2016 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Well the summer holidays are just about over, and Pumpkin Spice Lattes (or Frappuccinos in this case) are now back on the Starbucks menu, what does that mean? well it's September of course, and whilst I'm still praying for a lottery win or an Indian summer to get my sunshine fix, there is no doubt that despite the warm start to the week, autumn is on its way


Whilst I'm sorry to see the end of summer. I have to be honest and say I'm not particularly sorry to see the back of August. It was a pretty rubbish month in a lot of ways for me, culminating in a broken laptop, and a couple of screen free weeks, that I could seriously have done without. I'm now way behind schedule when it comes to blogging and You Tube and I have to admit that it's stressing me out a little bit! For once though I'm going to try and take my own advice and try to keep calm, and enjoy the creative process.

I've got lots and lots of posts and videos planned for the next few weeks, to try and bring myself back up to date, including some hopefully interesting reviews, and some hauls. If you like hauls, you need to make sure that your following my blog, and that your subscribed to my You Tube channel. I have a home haul, an ebay haul, specific shop hauls, and countless beauty hauls to come, including some items that I bought way back in May!

Since I have so many beauty items still to show you, I'm putting my Project 10 Pan plans on hold. My decision has nothing to do with the launch of Kat Von D into Debenhams later this month, and if you believe that you'll believe anything! ;). Seriously though I want a clean break and I can only do that when all of my beauty haul posts and videos are out of the way. I am definitely going to do it though and I'll let you know with a post and a video when I take the plunge and start my make up no buy. In the meantime though I've still be trying to use up as many beauty products as I can and here are the items that I finished in August.

Butter London Hand & Nail Creme - Mango Peach - 50ml
Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - 50ml
The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel - Apricot And Basil - 250ml
Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - 100ml
Primark PS Love Your Skin Nail Polish Twist Pot - 70ml
Rituals Fortune Scrub Sweet Orange And Cedar Shower Cream Scrub - 150ml
No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - 200ml
Next Passion Fruit Coulis Shower Gel - 50ml
Total - 8 Items

July and August ended up being twins - I managed to finish 8 products in July and I managed to finish another 8 items in August. It wasn't a vintage performance by any means but I managed to finish a nice assortment of older body care items and one longstanding skin items so I'm still pretty pleased, and I'm already looking forward to improving my total next month.

1. Butter London Hand & Nail Creme - Mango Peach - 50ml


The first item that I finished was a product that I had pretty much forgotten about. I normally have about half a dozen hand creams on the go at once and this one was one that I'd pretty much forgotten about. I originally bought this from a site called Powder Rooms that I loved but it now appears to be offline. They sold all sorts of quirky brands and products and this hand cream from popular nail brand Butter London was just one thing that I bought from the site. It had quite a runny texture, but it was easily absorbed and it left the skin feeling silky soft. The biggest selling point for me though was the smell - the Mango Peach scent was literally mouthwatering. Unfortunately Butter London don't seem to sell their hand creams anymore but you can still buy their nail polishes and lip products from various retailers including Feel Unique and HQ Hair, and with their new UK website set to launch soon here's hoping that they bring this gorgeous smelling lotion back

2. Sanctuary Spa Body Scrub - 50ml


This is the first of several mini products in this post and it's another rediscovery. Like socks and selection packs, a Sanctuary Spa gift set from Boots used to be almost a mainstay under my Christmas tree. My tastes have changed slightly over the years but I can still appreciate this exotic scent and the familiar bright orange packaging. This body scrub is still one of core products in the Sanctuary line, and although the name has changed slightly, this micro bead free scrub, contains gentle, pumice stone particles, suspended in a patchouli and orange scented, essential oil filled foaming gel. I like this scrub and I'll happily use up the couple that I've found in my stash but that said I probably wouldn't repurchase. There are now lots of different scrubs in the Sanctuary line, and you should know by now that I love salt and sugar scrubs, so my favourite scrub from Sanctuary is actually their Hot Sugar Scrub which normally retails at around £12. Pricey but worth it for the circulation boost that the warming effect gives you. This one though under it's new name the Sanctuary Gentle Polish Body Scrub retails at a much more affordable £5.50 for a 200ml tube and this 50ml size retails at the perfect try me price of just £2.50.

3. The Body Shop Earth Lovers 100% Biodegradable Shower Gel - Apricot And Basil - 250ml


This is another rediscovered product and unfortunately it's another product that's been discontinued. The Body Shop Earth Lovers range was a range of 100% biodegradable shower gels. The packaging was biodegradable as was the shower gel itself, and it was also sulfate, paraben, colour and soap free. This one sounds a little odd fragrance wise but it just worked, the sweetness and fruitiness of the apricot, went perfectly with the peppery herbal hit of the basil. I personally found the formulation a bit watery but I did enjoy this fragrance.

4. Benecos Natural Nail Polish Remover - 100ml


This was a product that I was sent to review from My Pure, and whilst I quite like it, I've got to say that in my opinion you can't beat a normal chemical filled (but acetone free) nail polish remover. This did what it was supposed to but it really struggled on anything with texture or glitter, and it was also better suited at removing one or two coats rather than a full manicure. You can read a full review here.

5. Primark PS Love Your Skin Nail Polish Twist Pot - 70ml


When these little pots first came on the market I had to admit that I wasn't a fan. I tried a few at several different price points and I was left feeling a bit mehh but now I get it I really do. This particular pot is just £1 and for me it's been a beauty life saver. I don't use them often to remove a full manicure but if you mess a nail up mid paint, then these pots are a quick and easy way to take your polish off without ruining the rest of your manicure. They also last for ages, and even when their effectiveness is starting to fade, just tip the polish remover out of the pot, and replace it with fresh remover, and you can get a bit more use out of it. Eventually though the sponge starts to disintegrate and you need to move onto a new pot. I already have a new pot and I will definitely be picking up another one.

6. Rituals Fortune Scrub Sweet Orange And Cedar Shower Cream Scrub - 150ml


Another one of these and I think that this particular full sized one came in a beauty box. I love the texture and that fact that you can use it wet or dry but it definitely isn't my favourite Rituals scent. I think it has a fairly unisex scent, with the tart, citrus of the orange, and the warm woodiness of the cedar. Nice product but I prefer some of the other Rituals scents. You can also read my thoughts on this product here x

7No7 Radiance Boosting Hot Cloth Cleanser - 200ml


Although I don't use or buy this particular product regularly, it's one of those things that I seemed to have a few of. The reason being, that this was the product that I always bought when I they had the free No7 voucher offer on in Boots. It's a good quality, gently fragranced hot cloth cleanser, that takes your make up off quickly and easily, and it feels nice on the skin. Every time I use this I always ask myself why I don't buy it and use it more often, for me it easily rivals some of the more expensive and famous hot cloth cleansers out there, so if you're on a budget or if it's on offer, it's well worth a try or at least it used to be. Like a lot of things Boots seem to have to changed the name, it seems to be the same product but it is now called The No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser which retails at £9.95 for a 200ml tube. I really hope it is the same product and I will definitely be picking one up to try next time that I need a new cleanser.

7. Next Passion Fruit Coulis Shower Gel - 50ml


My shower product sorting continued last month and this was another rediscovery. This mini came from a limited edition Next Christmas gift set, that was themed around food fragrance beauty products. It had a thick texture and a pretty disappointing fruity scent. The name promised so much but for me it didn't deliver and even it could repurchase it, I wouldn't  :(

A bit of a mixed bag from me today I know, with a mini life update and an empties post, but it's good to share, and if you have any questions either on any of the products that I finished last month, or on anything else to do with me, my blog or my You Tube channel then please leave me a comment x Don't forget to follow me on all of my other social media channels via the links in the sidebar and I'll see you soon with a haul post x