You Tube Changes And Glossybox August 2015 Unboxing

Hi everyone x If you follow me on twitter or any of my other social media accounts, then you'll probably already know that I've been a bit more active on You Tube lately. I got a new video camera for Christmas and to be honest bar the odd video it's sat unloved :( We all need to be loved so I've decided to be brave and throw a bit more of my heart and soul into my channel.

As per usual with me there are no guarantees, but I'm going to do my level best to upload videos on a much more regular basis than what I was. My blog still is and always will be my first love and I have some many posts planned that my head is spinning , but I'm going to be uploading a lot of exclusive content to my You Tube channel, including unboxings, some reviews, and much more.

I know You Tube isn't for everyone but I would love it if you would take some time out of your day to subscribe to my channel me and maybe watch some of my videos. I'm open to any constructive feedback and I'd love to know what you would like to see on my channel, so let me know x

You can find a link to my You Tube channel here x and if you like you can also watch my latest You Tube video, which is an unboxing and mini review of the UK August 2015 Glossybox.



Thanks for watching and hopefully for subscribing to my channel and I'll see you tomorrow on the blog with a very pretty beauty review that you won't want to miss xx

Supporting Local Business - Longsands Surf Clothing And Apparel*

I'm going to start off this post off with a bit of a confession, I'm no surfer chick - dancing to the Hawaii 5 0 theme tune is about as close as I'll ever get! I prefer my waves to be calm and peaceful, just give me a sun lounger rather than a surf board any day! When it comes to supporting a fellow North East company though, I'll make an exception, and start visualising crashing waves, and whipping winds!

Named after one of the most popular beaches in the North East, Tynemouth's Longsands. Longsands is a surf clothing and apparel company, based right here, in this fabulous region, that I call home. Don't think wet suits, and bright and gaudy Hawaiian shorts though Longsands in a way parody the traditional idea of pre and post surf apparel and have a designed a range of clothing that's ideal for walking along a cold, windswept, northern beach, rather than along a tropical one lined with palm trees.

Designed and printed right here in the UK, Longsands offer a wide, and ever changing range of surf inspired casual clothing and accessories, for men women and children. Although I'm no surfer, I am partial to casual and comfy clothing so many moons ago when I was offered the opportunity to chose a few pieces from the brand, I jumped at the chance.

The first product that I chose was something that unfortunately no longer seems to available, it's a t-shirt in a thick feeling fabric, with just a hint of stretch to it.

This is a women's t-shirt and this particular one had quite a skinny t, feel to it. It's grey marl in colour and features printed dark, almost black, navy blue wording "Skint and Hopeless" on the front. Although it's caused a few raised eyebrows here and there I love it. At the time I chose the shirt, that was exactly how I was feeling, but now I look at it and see how far I've come, and view it as a bit of a joke. It also features a small Longsands logo on the bottom of the shirt.

I've predominantly been wearing this t-shirt with jeans but here I've styled it in bit of a funkier way with a skirt. My aim was actually head to the seaside to do these pics but unfortunately life got in the way so you'll have to take me as you find me x

What I'm Wearing

Skint And Hopeless Women's T-Shirt - Longsands*

Straight Black Jersey Maxi Skirt - H&M

Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars Hi Tops -Black

I think what struck me most about this t-shirt is the quality. As I said the fabric seems quite thick compared to a normal shirt, and it actually feels as though it would last. Mines been through the wash about 6 times now and it looks no different to when I first received it. It's kept it's shape and it hasn't faded or pilled. This t-shirt was £18 when it was originally on sale, not the cheapest shirt ever,but because of the quality I think it was great value. There are several more t-shirts available on the site in various designs but if I had to pick another one I think it would be this  " Made In The North" design which again £18.

Source 

Something that Longsands seem to do a lot of is hoodies. Immensely practical either for throwing on after a swim in the frigid North Sea or for snuggling into in front of the fire, even Kimmy K has been spotted recently in a hoody!  Longsands do a huge variety but I fell in love with their retro design.

Made of a cotton and polyester mix, this hoody has a thick and heavy feel, with a dark grey, marl, body, it features a navy blue hood navy blue sleeves. It also features a white draw cord and a contrasting white zipper. It also features one of the Longsands logos, the crossed board symbol on both the back and the front.

Although I normally like my clothing to be quite form fitting, and dare I say it clingy, with this piece I wanted something different so I sized up. For me this hoody is all about comfort and whilst sizing up doesn't maybe show it off at it's most flattering I'm sure I'll be reaping the rewards come winter time, curled into my hoodie while the winds, howling outside, a steaming cuppa in hand. This isn't a piece that you can really dress up so I just went for a simple tonal Breton style top, some matching Converse and my trusty dark skinnies.

What I Wore

Navy Retro Hoody - Longsands*

Navy Blue And White Striped Top - La Redoute 

Indigo Stretch Jeggings - H&M

Converse All Star Ox Low Top - Navy 

Again what is apparent is the quality of the product and the quality of the materials that they use. This is sturdy piece that you would certainly expect to last. The Longsands Navy Retro Hoody retails at £34 and goes from a size S to a size XXL. If you search for it you probably could find a similar looking piece on the high street but and the big but is, would it be the same quality? I'm not sure that it would.

Even if your not a surfer or an outdoor enthusiast the Longsands range has a lot to offer. This is a range of casual clothes that is both comfortable and practical, and based on my experience the quality is second to none. These are items that you will buy once, and wash and wear time and time again. To see more from the Longsands range and for ordering and stockist information please take a look at their website x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me your musings below x 

*Samples

Essence I ♥ Trends Nail Polish - The Nudes - 07 Hope For Love* - Nails Of The Day

Hi Guys x Hope you're all having a great day x Today's post is another nails of the day post and it's something that I was recently sent from top European budget brand, Essence. The majority of Essence polishes in my collection are either special effects shades, or they're bright and vibrant colours, this one though is just a little bit different.

Essence I ♥ Trends Nail Polish - The Nudes - 07 Hope For Love, is one of a  wider range of nude toned polishes recently released by Essence. The range contains a variety of nude and neutral tones including everything from pale pinks to beige's, and skin tone and mannequin hands shades.

Hope For Love is a beautiful dusky, neutral pink. There is probably not a place or a time that you couldn't wear this shade. It's one of those colours that would be perfect for work, for play or even for the most formal of social occasions.

The coverage is excellent and believe it or not this is just one coat. Normally you have to be careful with cream polishes, but this one was pretty good. The polish is pretty thick but it is self levelling so as long as your nail tips aren't too white, and your first coat is decent, one coat should be enough.

Creamy polishes, especially in paler shades like this often have a reputation for being streaky and hard to work with but I have to say this one really surprised me. It was easy to apply, the coverage was good and the wear time was acceptable for the price. Essence I ♥ Trends Nail Polish - The Nudes -07 Hope For Love, retails at just £1.80 for an 8ml bottle and is available in the UK from Wilko, Wilko Online and from Essence standalone stores. 

Is the quality of this polish a one off ? well, we'll see x I have quite a few more Essence items to review including another polish from The Nudes range, so if you're a fan of more affordable beauty products make sure that your following my blog x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me a comment below x 

*Sample

A Genius In His Field - YSL Style Is Eternal At The Bowes Museum

Have you ever had one of those days where you could just kick yourself for being such an idiot? Well Wednesday was one of those days for me! A couple of months ago now advanced tickets went on sale for a fashion exhibition at one of my favourite places, The Bowes Museum, in the historic Co Durham, market town of Barnard Castle.

I've been to quite a few fashion and design exhibitions at the museum over the years but this one was something just a little bit out of the ordinary. The museum was to be the first venue, ever, in the UK to host a retrospective of one of the greatest, and most iconic fashion designers in history, Yves Saint Laurent.

Thanks to the Durham County Council, and a host of private investors including Fenwick of Newcastle, The Bowes Museum is able to host an exhibition of Yves Saint Laurent's design work, couture, costumes, and ready to wear fashion pieces, ranging from 1958 - 2000, entitled YSL Style Is Eternal.

To avoid major foot stamping and disappointment, we worked out the best dates and I booked tickets online on the day of release for me and Mummy Lou. After seeing both the press pictures and pics snapped by some of my fellow bloggers, my excitement grew, and grew and eventually the day came, and last Wednesday, we got in the car and headed south.

Our reserved slot didn't start till 1pm so we had a little look around the town (note all the YSL banners), and then we had a spot of lunch in Costa, before heading to the museum for 12.45. I have to say I've never seen the car parks so busy, and once we got inside the queue for tickets was huge, so I was really grateful that we booked and printed off our tickets in advance.

We took the lift to the second floor, and the fashion and textile gallery and then my stomach sank! As I reached into my huge bag for my camera, I realised that the ancient compact camera that I'd brought with me had broken on route :( I'd already left my SLR at home over weight concerns so it was my own fault really but I still didn't stop me being annoyed!  I was left with no other option than to take photographs with my ancient iPhone 4S. I'm therefore going to apologise for the quality of some of the pictures in this post not being up to my usual standard but I hope you enjoy anyways. I took about 100 photos but these are just some of my favourites x

The exhibition not only features glamorous and intricate, and hand beaded pieces but it also featured something that Yves Saint Laurent was so famous for, tailoring and his masculine / feminine designs. From sharp pinstripe suits, to a beautifully tailored tuxedo dress, and a jumpsuit, he really was a master when it came to pattern cutting, and creating sharp lines and structure

As well as all the pretty dresses, and examples of his couture work, the exhibit  also featured hand drawn designs, videos of catwalk shows and the great man at work, sample pieces, trimmings, and original photographs.

One of the most striking photographs in the exhibition was this one of 1960's supermodel Veruschka wearing this safari ensemble from 1968.

Source

Not only could you see the original photographs but you could also see the clothing pieces themselves. Some of the more expensive and fragile pieces, and obviously the art and design pieces were displaced in glass cases, but unusually a lot of the pieces were just displayed on mannequins so you could get right up close and have a really good look at everything  from the buttons and beads to the tiny, tiny stitches.

I have to say we both left completely in awe with the design and the workmanship that had gone into every single piece. Some of the beaded pieces especially, were true works of art and not only show Yves Saint Laurent's talent as an artist but they also show how he was inspired by artists such as Mondrian, Picasso and Van Gough.

I've filmed a little vlog on my iPhone, which will hopefully allow you to see some better shots of some of the more intricate and eye catching pieces. If you're on a mobile you can find it here x



Whether you're into fashion or art, or you just want to see something will make you go wow, this exhibition is well worth a visit, whether you're a north east native or you fancy taking a trip north or south to the beautiful Co Durham countryside.

We booked our tickets via Ticketmaster but you can pay on the day, if you're prepared to wait and queue. As well as Style Is Eternal admission tickets also grant you access to the rest of the museum, which includes numerous temporary and permanent exhibitions including paintings from Canaletto and Goya, porcelain from Sevres and Meissen, antique furniture and of course the famous, musical automaton Silver Swan. If you're interested YSL Style Is Eternal runs until 25th October 2015, so you've got plenty of time to plan your trip, and we'll already planning a return visit but this time with my Godmother in tow x If you want to find out more about the exhibition and the museum, you can find their website here x  Thanks for reading x

Sample Saturday - Lush Charity Pot Hand And Body Lotion*

After quite a long hiatus, it's time for another instalment in my Sample Saturday series. Life got in the way a bit with this one, but I'm back on it and it will hopefully become a regular feature again on my blog in the weeks and months to come. If you're one of my newer readers and you've missed out on those early posts, Sample Saturday is where I try out some of the miniature bottles, jars, tubes and even sachets that seem to be taking over my house! Because of the size of the products these won't be the most in depth reviews that you'll ever read on my blog but hopefully you'll still find them helpful.

I thought I'd restart the series with a product that I was given at a recent Lush event (you can find out more about the event here.) As well as producing some fine products Lush are probably one of the most ethical and caring companies on the high street, Unlike some companies they aren't afraid of controversy and alienating themselves, they do what they think it right, be it with regards to animal welfare, environmental issues or human rights. Over the years Lush have released a lot of one off products to campaign for certain causes but one product has stood the test of time and has remained on sale in Lush stores since 2007.

Lush Charity Pot Hand And Body Lotion first hit stores nearly 8 years ago and it's remained one of their most consistent, best sellers. Every penny from each Charity Pot sale, bar VAT or local taxes is donated to charity. The proceeds are donated to a wide variety of causes that help both people, animals and the environment. Since 2007, sales of the Charity Pot have raised more than £7 Million worldwide, for charities involved in farming collectives, fair trade producers, food production and education.

Like most of the products that Lush sell, the Lush Charity Pot Hand And Body Lotion contains only fair trade, organic and ethically sourced ingredients, it's also suitable for vegans and completely cruelty free.

Suitable for use both on the hands and on the body it contains vats of super rich moisturising ingredients including shea, and cocoa butters, and moringa, jojoba and olive oils, and aloe vera. It also contains vanilla absolute and essential oils of rosewood, geranium and ylang ylang.

It's almost pale yellow in colour and it has a rich creamy texture. When you first start massaging it into the skin it feels slightly tacky but give it a few minutes and it soaks right in, leaving the skin looking, and feeling smooth and hydrated. As you would expect from the essential oils and the vanilla absolute, it has quite a warm, heady scent, but whilst it is noticeable it's not overpowering.

This is a really nice product with a really good back story and it's something that most people could find a use for somewhere in their hand and body care routines. My hands and cuticles are particularly dry at the moment so I've been using this as a hand cream last thing at night, and I really do think that it's making a difference. It's a little bit rich for me to use during the day at the moment but in the winter time I can see this little pot coming in to its own.

Lush Charity Pot Hand And Body Lotion is available either online or in your local Lush store and comes in 3 different sizes, including the 10g trial size pot, which you can see here, which is just £1, It also comes in a 95g tub which retails at £6.95 and in a huge 240g tub which retails at £12.95. Even if you just buy the trial size pot, you could still be helping to change someones life for the better, and your skin will thank you too x Have you tried Lush Charity Pot before? Let me know your thoughts x

*Sample

Foodie Friday - Phil Vickery Seriously Good Gluten Free Vanilla & Raspberry Cupcake Mix

I love cookery programmes and celebrity chefs but being gluten free more often than not I'm left frustrated by their wheat laden offerings. Over the years I've learnt to adapt recipes but I still find it frustrating that so few celebrity chefs cater for people with food and dietary intolerance's.

There are exceptions though and one chef that 's probably done more than more for raising awareness of gluten intolerance, than anyone else, is Phil Vickery. A regular on ITV's This Morning, Phil Vickery has written 3 best selling books, full to the brim with gluten free recipes. I only own one of his books Seriously Good Gluten Free Cooking, but there some really good recipes in it ranging from main meals, to smoothies and of  course cakes and desserts.

I love baking from scratch but as you can see sometimes from Great British Bake Off sometimes baking isn't as easy as it looks. Although I've pretty much perfected my gluten free sponge, believe you me, me and Mummy Lou have has our disasters over the years. Baking and especially gluten free baking in my opinion takes practise, and patience but what if you don't have that patience? Well you could go the supermarket and buy a ready made cake or you could by a box of cake mix.

Packet cake mixes are ideal for beginners and there a great way of teaching young children how to bake. It's not the same as making a cake from scratch but at least you have the satisfaction of saying "I made that". If you're gluten free or dairy intolerant though, it's sometimes not that easy to go into a shop and buy a packet of free from cake mix. Thankfully as times change, and allergy awareness increases, it's much easier than it was, the selection  though still isn't amazing and more often than not you need to visit a specialist health food store or a large supermarket.

For choice I still buy a lot of food online and recently whilst searching for gluten free food I discovered  that the Phil Vickery (the chef not the rugby player obviously :) has introduced has own range of gluten free baking mixes. I decided to give them a go and ordered a couple of boxes of cake mix and some cookie mix. I'm going to review them all for you but I thought I'd start with some cupcakes.

Phil Vickery Seriously Good Gluten Free Vanilla & Raspberry Cupcake Mix, is both gluten free and dairy free (more on that later), and vegetarian, they do contain eggs though and the manufacturers can't guarantee that they're nut free.

The box makes 12 cupcakes, and contains 12 silver cupcake cases, a packet of sugar mix, a packet of vanilla sponge mix, and a packet of raspberry fondant icing mix, and a tub of glitter sprinkles.

The box comes with full, easy to follow instructions. All you need to do is add some eggs, some vegetable oil, and some milk, to the sugar and cake mix sachets. If you're dairy intolerant you can use whatever milk you  normally use, for example soy, coconut or almond, but I just used normal semi skimmed. Then you just fill up you cases and pop them in the oven for around 20 minutes.

When their done you just leave them to cool, and mix the icing sachet with some boiling water and then spoon it over your cakes, and top with your sprinkles.

Okay my decorating skills leave a bit to be desired but it's all about the taste, isn't it? The sponge is probably the fluffiest and lightest gluten free sponge that I've ever eaten, it had a light vanilla flavour and it wasn't too sweet, which was in direct contrast with the icing. The super sweet, bright pink icing contained real raspberry powder which gave it a subtle, real, raspberry flavour.

These cakes were yummy and even Mummy Lou couldn't tell that they were gluten free, The instructions were really easy to follow, and they came out perfectly. I love baking and I'd like to think that I'm pretty good at it, but even a complete beginner could make these cakes and enjoy them.

The one drawback is the price these usually retail at £5.95 a box, but they are currently on special at £3.57 from Squires Kitchen. However, you can get the Phil Vickery Seriously Good! Gluten-Free Bumper Baking Kit which was the kit that I got. It's currently on special for just £7.93, and contains a box of Vanilla and Raspberry Cupcakes, a box of Very Lemony Cupcakes, and a packet of Chocolate Chip Cookie Mix. I'll been reviewing these other two mixes soon but in the meantime if you're looking for some easy gluten free baking options then these Phil Vickery kits could be something to try. You can view the full range online at Squires Kitchen and you can find out more about Phil Vickery here. If you have any questions let me now and I hope you all have a nice weekend x

The Konjac Sponge Co - A Review For My Pure*

If you'd asked me a few years ago what Konjac was, I can pretty much guarantee that along with 90% of the western world that I wouldn't be able to tell you. Now though it's a totally different story, this Asian grown, vegetable fibre ingredient is everywhere, from slim noodles, to bubble tea and skincare, the majority of us will either have ate or drank something with it in, or we'll have used it at some point in our skin care routines.

Over the past year or so there has been of a buzz in the blogging community about face and body cleansing products from The Konjac Sponge Co, but I have to admit that by and large it's passed me by, Konjac for me was for eating in a stir fry, and not for putting on my face! Last month though I was browsing the My Pure website and I noticed that one of their newest brands was The Konjac Sponge Co so I thought I'd give them a try and see what all the fuss was about.

The sponges are made from natural vegetable fibres from the Konjac Potato or Konnyaku plant. This plant which contains 97% water is not only an excellent food source but it's also pH neutral so it's an excellent skincare ingredient for sensitive skins. The Konjac used in all of the products from The Konjac Sponge Co, is free from chemicals, colourings, irritants, pollutants and additives. The Konjac fibres that they use also comes from a sustainable source, and their products are both vegan and cruelty free,

The plant fibres are mixed with various other ingredients, depending on the sponge that you choose, and they are mixed together with the purest, cleanest, water possible, that is filtered through volcanic rock. Depending on your skin type there are various sponges to choose from but the one I decided to go for was the one with nourishing, rich, green clay.

Containing French green clay noted for its antibacterial properties, this sponge is designed specifically for oily, combination skin, and is designed to exfoliate, and deep cleanse the skin, whilst at the same time, refining pores and leaving the skin soft, smooth and radiant.

The sponge itself comes packaged in a plastic pouch and it contains full instructions on how to use it. It's round in shape, pale green in colour and comes with an attached, string hanging loop. When you first take the sponge out of the packet and it's dry, it feels quite hard, and almost scratchy to the touch.

The sponge when it's dry is way too hard to use so what you need to do is wet it. The first time you use it you need to wet it completely through, and give it a good squeeze, and then you're ready to go.

Dry

When it's wet the sponge feels more like the conventional sponges, that we're used to, it's soft and squidgy to the touch with just a hint of texture.

Wet

Then all you do is wash your face, you can either use the sponge on it's own, or you can use it with your favourite cleanser. There is no discernible smell or residue, and when you use it on it's own, it leaves the skin feeling surprisingly fresh and clean, and very smooth once it's dry. Use it with cleanser and you get a similar result but you seem to need less product.

Once your done you just rinse the sponge and leave it dry till the next time you want to use it. It you look after your sponge it should last for around 2-3 months before you need to replace it. Even then the sponge is full biodegradable so all you need to do is put it in the garden or in the compost bin.

I get it! I get it! I really do !I finally understand the hype surrounding these sponges! I've mainly been using this on a morning and on my no make up days but I can honestly say even with using specific face scrubs and masks, my skin has never felt smoother! From something rock solid and rough, to something smooth and soft, with just a quick soak in water, this sponge is gentle on the skin, yet you feel as though you've given it a good scrub without any of the roughness or the abrasive action . I can't recommend this sponge enough and I'll definitely be buying another one when this one gives up the ghost. 

If you have skin! I would thoroughly recommend that you add one of these to your routine. If you don't have oily, combination skin that's fine, there are plenty more sponges in the range with different ingredients for different skin conditions, so even if your skin is super sensitive this product could work for you. You can find a full selection on My Pure, but the one I got, The Konjac Sponge Co 100% Natural Vegetable Fibre Face Sponge With Nourishing Mineral Rich Green Clay For Oily And Combination Skin retails at £7.99 from My Pure, Have you tried Konjac sponges yet, or even the noodles ;)? Let me know below x 

*Sample

Trimming My Stash - July 2015 Edition - Empties And Mini Reviews

Hey Guys x  I hope you all had a nice weekend, mine was quiet thankfully after a very hectic few weeks, sometimes you just need to kick back and chill. The working week resumes though and since it's the start of a new month it's time for my regular monthly empties post.

L'Occitane Cooling Hand Cream Gel With Organic Verbena Extract - 15ml

La Riche Directions Semi Permanent Conditioning Hair Colour - Pastel Pink - 88ml

SBC Cotton Mild And Moisturising Shower Gel - 250ml

John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Liquid Shine Illuminating Shampoo - 250ml

"OPI" Cuticle Revitalize Oil Pen - Rose

Imperial Leather Foamburst Luxurious Body Wash - Sweet Vanilla & Cherry Blossom - 200ml

May Beauty The Incredible Face Mask - 10ml

Soap & Glory Off Your Face 3 in 1 Daily Purifying Cloths - 25 Clothes

Molton Brown Skincare Creole Grass Anti-Ageing Hydra Creme - 50ml

Total - 9 Items 

In July I finished 9 items and I have to say I'm pretty pleased with that. I finished a nice assortment of items including few things that had there or there about for a long time.

1. L'Occitane Cooling Hand Cream Gel With Organic Verbena Extract - 15ml

I've lost count of how many tubes of L'Occitane hand cream I've gone through over the years and they've never, ever, let me down. The thick, and creamy original is my favourite, but I love trying out the wide variety of different fragrances and textures that they have on offer. This is one of the lighter textures products in the range, it has a gorgeous fresh almost lemon fragrance, and a light almost cream, gel texture. It feels lovely and cooling on the skin and it absorbs really quickly. Although it isn't as moisturising as some of the hand products in the range, it's perfect for summer, and for touch screen users. This was a little mini tube but I would consider repurchasing this one for daily use in the warmer months.

2. La Riche Directions Semi Permanent Conditioning Hair Colour - Pastel Pink - 88ml

I've never seen you with pink hair I hear you cry? Well no you haven't but it wasn't for the want of trying - I'm currently growing out my blond streaks and since I had a tub of this left over from my mum's daring pink phase, I decided to cover my streaks in pastel pink dye. Did it work? well nor really, it barely took on even the most white blonde section of my hair :( Gutted :(

3. SBC Cotton Mild And Moisturising Shower Gel - 250ml

If you're a fan of Yankee Candles Clean Cotton, Soft Blanket or Fluffy Towels fragrances. Then you need this shower gel in your life. Designed specifically for sensitive skin, this creamy textured shower gel smells of pure freshness, clean sheets, and fresh air. It won't be to every ones taste and whilst I don't think that I would repurchase it's a nice product that leave you feeling fresh and clean.

4. John Frieda Brilliant Brunette Liquid Shine Illuminating Shampoo - 250ml

This was a product that I was sent for review purposes many, many moons ago, and due to the sheer amount of shampoos in my bathroom I've just got down to finishing it. You can read my full review here but I actually really liked this. It wasn't the most moisturising shampoo that I've ever used but it definitely left the hair looking much shinier and healthier.

5."OPI" Cuticle Revitalize Oil Pen - Rose

This was an ebay purchase from a few years ago, and I'm going to be honest I don't think it's a genuine OPI product. I've never seen cuticle oils like this in any OPI collection so I think it just might be an ebay fake. That aside though this was actually pretty decent, the pen was ideal for travel, and the oil itself had a gentle rose fragrance, and it felt really hydrating on the skin. I've actually ordered another one in a lavender fragrance from this ebay seller for a pretty bargainous 99p including postage.

6. Imperial Leather Foamburst Luxurious Body Wash - Sweet Vanilla & Cherry Blossom - 200ml

This is something else that I was sent to review and another product that I love. You can read my full review here x but in my opinion these products make shower a much more luxurious and pampering experience.

7. May Beauty The Incredible Face Mask - 10ml

This was something else that I was sent for review and yet again it was something else that I loved You can read my full review here but I've already bought some more x Don't forget if you're interested in trying these masks you can get 30% off any face mask package using the link and code louloufacemask30 before the end of August.

8. Soap & Glory Off Your Face 3 in 1 Daily Purifying Cloths - 25 Clothes

Although I don't use face wipes on my face that often, I always like to have a packet on standby for emergency cleansing and for cleaning up swatches. These were a nice thick, good quality wipe with that traditional Soap & Glory fragrance. They were nice but for what I use face wipes for I can't justify the extra expenditure so I'll be sticking to my cheapy Primark wipes.

9. Molton Brown Skincare Creole Grass Anti-Ageing Hydra Creme - 50ml

My final empty from July is something else that I was sent for review. This was a nice, although pricey moisturiser, that was intended for dry skin. It had quite a matte finish though so it worked pretty well on my oily / combination skin. Mummy Lou also liked this one on her drier, mature skin. Unfortunately Molton Brown appear to have discontinued their skincare line but you can read a full review here x 

As I say I'm quite pleased with this lot mainly because I've managed to use up a lot of lingering and older products. With any luck, you can expect to see a few more in the weeks and months to come as I plough my way through a mountain of half finished products and things that I've rediscovered because of the bathroom renovations - every cloud as they say x I love reading empties post so if you've written one lately leave me a link below, so I can have a read x