Life is too short for rubbish moisturisers!

I LOVE a good empties post. Call me weird but there's something oddly satisfying about seeing or reading all about products that people have loved so much they've literally scraped every single last drop out. I'm more than happy to stand alone on this one, but just in case you're like me, I'm coming at you today with a few of my most loved, used, scraped out - hell I've even cut one of them open - lotions and potions from the last few weeks!  

Mixa Restoring Body Lotion
Since I went all out there with the drama about cutting things open, it makes sense to start off with Mixa - the bottle that had the scissors taken to it! As with most things that we consume these days, I first came across this brand via at least three of my bloggers/vloggers/YouTubers/Influencers - whatever you want to call them. They all talked about how fantastic the brand was, how much good the lotions and potions were doing to their skin and most of all, how purse friendly it is. I have to agree, they were right on all three counts. 

There's nothing fancy dancy about Mixa at all, it doesn't particularly smell of anything, but it is indeed flipping good lotion that will do good things to your skin. This particular one worked wonders on my red patches from so much cold weather (COME ON Spring, what you playing at?!) and I was genuinely upset when the lotion stopped coming out via the pump, hence the dramatic scissors whereby more and more product just kept coming out for about another week, yay! I initially had to order this via Boots online, but I've since seen the brand in person in Superdrug in Middlesbrough so if you're interested, I would definitely head there first. I would like to think that the cut open packaging/scissors story speaks for itself, but it's safe to say I can highly recommend Mixa and I look forward to trying more. 

Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter
This is my third repurchase of this really flipping good cleansing balm. At just over £10 for the tub, it's a decent size that lasts a reasonable amount of time and does a really good job of removing all traces of makeup. I like that it's very, very light on fragrance, that it's super effective, it's really easy to travel with (she says, as if always off to far-flung destinations when in actual fact it's been no further than UK holidays), and I sometimes end up getting it for slightly cheaper if I have Body Shop points saved up. The only reason I haven't bought this again is that I've got a real hankering to try the Clinique Take the Day off cleansing balm so I'm saving my pennies up for that! (sidenote: way to tell that this blog is strictly amateur hour - when was the last time you heard a blogger say they needed to wait for payday for anything?!) 

Lee Stafford Sea Salt Spray
Boy, is this packaging pink! I inadvertently ended up buying two things from this range and the overwhelming PINK in my hair stuff basket was hurting my eyes! Rainbow bright packaging aside, this is a crackin' sea salt spray that has basically been making my life, now that my hair is 7 inches shorter than it was and back to being all bouncy and full of life. Spray in, quick scrunch and job is a good'un! Not sticky, not crispy, indeedy not rubbish at all. I can highly recommend! Once again, the only reason I didn't buy it again straight away is that I like trying new stuff out so I've currently got a blue one from L'Oreal. All the colours of the rainbow!

Lee Stafford Air Dry Foam
I'm definitely going to file this one under the category of fail. I don't quite know why I was so intrigued to try one of these 'air dry' products when in actual fact I air dry my hair every time I wash it (translation: can't be bothered to get the hairdryer out so leave it to dry naturally) and don't really need a product to help me do that. It was faffy, sticky and didn't really do anything at all. Very much a 'meh' from me. 

Bionsen Caring Touch deodorant (aluminium, paraben and alcohol free)
Over the past few years I've made many a foray into the natural deodorant world. The first one I ever tried did not go down well at all and basically gave me a kind of prickly heat rash in my armpit. 

Pleasant. *sarcasm* 

I have to admit that after the trauma of that it took me a good two years to be brave enough to try again. The next attempt was with the crystal style one. I'm still trying to figure out how that one works...when I saw this Bionsen one I was really intrigued. It looked like a normal deodorant, smelled nice, and didn't seem too scary, and it was about £2.50 so definitely not bank breaking at all. 

I've been pretty chuffed that it's turned out as well it has. I really, really like it and use it on weekends and when I'm working from home. I'd like to say that I use it everyday but I work in what is basically a sweatbox so if you don't have 48 hour Mitchum protection type deodorant on you might as well forget wearing any colour except black... 

Botanics All Bright Radiance Concentrate Serum
Excellent price point, very easy to buy (just pop into your local Boots) and a nice, sinks in quickly and moisturises at the same time serum. It ticks all the boxes but there was just something about this that didn't really float my boat. I bought a second bottle just to make fully sure, but the second attempt didn't really excite me any further. I think it's perfect if you're looking for an entry level serum but for those of us that might require a little more assistance in the hydration department, the big guns are needed and this cute little bottle just isn't big and doesn't have enough ummmph behind it. 

And there you have it. A whole heap of empties and a mini review thrown in for good measure. What have you emptied out lately? Hit me up in the comments - we've already established that I'm very easily enabled...

The good, the bad and the totally brilliant

I know I only had a lotions and potions post on Friday but these early months in the year are when I step up my skincare testing to try and combat the winter skin effects - in my case red, sore, dry and all round hydration-seeking. Here's my latest round up of the good, the bad and the totally brilliant. 

First up let's start with the bad, the rotten tomato in the group if you will. When it comes to base I'm not really a foundation kind of girl - more often than not I use a tinted moisturiser, a primer, or some equivalent like a CC cream. I can't even remember why I decided to spend ten of my hard earned pounds on this L'Oreal Nude Magique Blur Cream, perhaps I'd seen a review somewhere online that sounded like it would be the perfect product for me. Except it wasn't. It was, to put it bluntly, utterly shite, and a massive waste of money as it's going in the bin. 

Let me tell you why. First of all it has a weird texture, that strange silicone type that feels all weird on your fingers and even more so on your face. In all fairness, it probably wasn't the right time of year to try a 'blur' effect cream - those kinds of things are generally better for summer when my face has some colour and doesn't really need much adding to it, but I still think it could have been better. It took a lot of product to cover my skin (and I have pretty good skin that doesn't need massive coverage!) and it's a pretty small tube so if I had committed to using it, it wouldn't have lasted five minutes...but! 

There always has to be a but! The absolute worst thing about this was the way the stuff came out of the tube. I'm not even sure if I can describe it accurately without grossing everyone out...let's just say it spurted out, making some very disturbing farty noises along the way, and it was all bitty and gross and the slimy silicone feel of it...eeewwwww! It was grim. It's going in the bin. Big fat waste of a tenner. Do not buy this product - ever! 

Things can only get better now! On with the good - step up the Body Shop Almond hand cream. Lovely product, lovely smell, lovely feel, all round loveliness. The only thing that kept it from being brilliant was the tiny, tiny lid. I have a real problem with screw lids on stuff, and if they're even more fiddly than usual it's my worst nightmare. Coupled with hands that have just had hand cream put on them? Little tiny black lid flying all around the bedroom! 

Sidenote: As you can clearly see, that tube has been well and truly wrung by my marvellous tube wringer device! Absolutely genius and the best £25 I ever spent! A lotions and potions lover's dream to ensure you use absolutely all the product up. I digress. 

Time to move on to the brilliant. 

My brilliant trio. Lotions and potions of dreams if you like: Avene Hydrance Serum, Caudalie Vinosource Overnight Recovery Oil and Weleda Skin Food. 

The serum was lush, totally hydrating and sank right into the skin - a real winter saviour and one that I'll be seeking out next year at the same kind of time. I think it came in at about £16 and I used up every single drop in a month so pretty good going really. Well worth the extra few pennies when your skin needs it most, and easily available too - I bought mine in Boots.  

Ah Caudalie, Caudalie, I love every single product that I try - so nice! I recently watched a vlog when someone went to the spa in France and it looked AMAZING and when I'm rich I'm planning to go myself. Just saying. The Vinosource range is one of my favourites and this oil was an absolute delight to use. So nourishing and hydrating, and it smelled delicious! As with all Caudalie things, it wasn't the cheapest but for me, it is a brand that is well worth splurging on (by splurge I'm talking between £25-40 which may seem a lot but we're talking really good quality here). I've picked up a different brand to try as a replacement and I'm already wishing that I'd re-invested in this - you live, you learn. Definitely a re-purchase for me though and one I think I'll come back to over and over again. 

And then we're back to Weleda Skin Food. I blogged about this on Friday so scroll back through a couple of days and have a read - it mainly involves words like marvellous and brilliant and I can only repeat those same words here. Very highly recommended and a bargain to boot! 

Good, bad, brilliant. Any recommendations that I need to try? I'm very easily persuaded when it comes to lotions and potions...

Friday Find

There is absolutely nothing better than a new discovery, in any way, shape or form, I love finding new stuff that pleases me so. Yep, I will freely admit, that stuff often comes in the form of lotions and potions. Step up my most recent Friday Find - Weleda Skin Food. 

I had heard many, many good things about this wonder product, mainly from 'green' beauty bloggers who talk about organic and cruelty free products. Now having used it, I have no idea why it took me so long to get around to trying it, because frankly, it is bloody brilliant! 

It's called Skin Food for a good reason - you can basically use it everywhere! So far I've used it around my red and raw nose (ha! obligatory cold of doom reference!) which took less than 48 hours to heal; also on my red winter suffering cheeks, my lips, my elbows, dry skin patches around my ankles, and even (turn away now if you're squeamish!) up my nose! Regular morning and evening use and all have taken less than 48 hours to become baby soft and significantly less red and sore - it's genius, I tell you! 

As you can see by my squished up tube, supplies are already starting to run low, but I can say with absolute certainty that before that tube is empty I will be replacing it as I honestly think it's something I now won't be able to live without! A true find! 

The 100ml version is £6.95 from Holland and Barrett and there are several other sites that sell it online and include free shipping. Brilliant, bargainous and bloody marvellous - what more do you need! Buy it now! Go! 

I'd like to introduce you to - REN

I think you know by now that when I talk about a product or a brand on here it's because I seriously love it. So I'd like to introduce you to REN. 

I have to say it's taken me a while with this one as it's not cheap, which is my usual go-to when it comes to recommendations. But I do believe that there is something in this lovely brand for everyone, be it skincare or luxurious shower gels and body creams that are a gorgeous treat yo-self kind of buy. 

I can't remember exactly when I came across it, but it has recently become even more accessible as it's stocked in Marks and Spencer beauty halls, as well as all the online places, which gives you an opportunity to try out the tester product before you buy. 

As a product it's a good'un - they only use 100% plant and mineral derived actives and they are free from a lot of the bad nasties that can be harmful to skin. I've tried all sorts of different products from cleansers to eye cream to body creams and I have loved every single product. The thing I love about it the most though is the packaging. With so many products, both budget and high end, you can rarely see what's inside and there's no way you can squeeze the last drop out of it without taking your scissors to the tube, but REN are total babes! They have some kind of snazzy method that uses the product from the bottom up and you can visibly see how much you have left AND (and this is the clincher) the clever system they use means you can literally squeeze every last drop until you can visibly see the bottle or tube is well and truly empty. GENIUS! Why don't all beauty brands do this?! 

First up, here's their website so you can have a look around for yourself: REN skincare.

Next I've compiled a list of some of my favourite products that I would really recommend to try if you fancy dipping your toe in:

Evercalm gentle cleansing milk (£16.00)

Rosa Centafolia No. 1 purity cleansing balm (£24.00)

Moroccan rose otto body lotion (£26.00)

Vita Mineral Omega 3 optimum skin oil (£25.00) - this is my most current product and to say I love it would be an understatement. It literally sinks into the skin and leaves it feeling hydrated and silky soft like golden retriever ears! 

I usually buy the products from Feel Unique or Naturisimo but it's definitely worth checking out Marks and Spencer too as they often have 20% off weekends - in fact all of the options I have listed have offers on at various times or other so it's worth signing up to their mailing lists to get them. I rarely pay full price for it as I wait until I have an offer code or a discount weekend due to the higher price premium. 

You know I love my lotions and potions, but if you're feeling spendy and looking for some new skincare I can't recommend REN enough. Gorgeous and green - I love it! 

Lucky beast

This is a tale of two parts. The first being the luck of people who live in the USA (and some locations in Europe too) who have access to all these amazing lotions and potions stores all of the time. It's probably a very good job I don't live in any of those places or we might have a serious situation on our hands. In case you have no clue what I'm on about, I'm talking about easy access to Sephora, Ulta, and Target - the holy grail for beauty lovers all over the land. 

The second part of this tale is about me being lucky. Lucky to have a friend who has just come back from an awesome holiday in Florida. And the luckiest beast of all that said friend is a total babe and basically brought me back a haul. Oh oh oh, a delicious haul full of lotions and potions and make-up delights and tasty treats. I almost squealed out loud in public when I lifted the tissue paper from the black and white striped bag of joy. Eye shadows, brushes, lipstick, lip balms, highlighter...let me show you! 

Safe to say I have already used every single thing on my face and loved everything. 

I've probably said thank you too many times. 

There is also a candle that smells like cheesecake.

I can't even...luckiest beast ever. EVER! 

A Thing of Beauty

My name is Claire and I love lotions and potions. I am very easily 'enabled' as the saying goes by the bloggers and YouTube people that I watch who all have access to some delicious lotions and potions that I covet on an almost daily basis. Just ask Tee and Debs about when we were in Brighton and the only thing that I wanted to buy was a Mac 217 brush that cost £18. Yep, I totally did spend that much money on a makeup brush and it is a delight to use every single day. So soft and dreamy...

Let's talk enabling. In this instance it was a couple of YouTubers who put me on to the beauty advent calendar craze. In the opposite sense of this blog tale, I am generally a cheap as chips, 99p advent calendar kind of girl - somehow that cheap chocolate just tastes so good at this time of year. But this year, I decided to add in a beauty calendar to the mix. In terms of expensive, it's really not that up there compared to some of them that come in at hundreds of pounds. Girl ain't got that kind of spare cash. But girl does have a spare £25, well, okay not really but we're talking small change here people!

Step up the Marks and Spencer Beauty Calendar. For a mere £25 there is a box to open up every single day in the lead up to Christmas that contains some form of lotion or potion - oh me, oh my. The whole thing has the value of £200. £200! For a mere £25*. I mean come on, it's almost rude not to! As you can imagine, to say that I am excited is a bit of an understatement. It's basically going to be like Christmas every single day! With a cheapo advent calendar chocolate thrown in too - does life get any better?!

As I in no way consider myself to be a beauty blogger, I won't go to the trouble of listing all the contents. Instead just picture the excited face of this lotions and potions lover as a pretty box is opened each day. And just think of all the goodies I will have to begin the new year - I won't need to go shopping for ages!

My Christmas countdown is on! And I'm pretty sure this will turn up in my monthly favourites because, like, durrrrrr.

*for the record, to get the beauty advent calendar for £25 you had to spend £25. Which was very easily done by purchasing the most expensive body lotion I will ever use at £26. I don't feel the need to defend my purchasing choice, but even at a £51 spend that is still £149 of savings (quickly checks rubbish mental arithmetic skills)