Picking Up Some Essentials.. #2

These days I've been buying a lot more beauty 'care' products than make-up, and because a lot of them are feeling like they'll be essentials, I decided to do a second part of a post I did ages ago about picking up some essentials :)

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails in Clear - £4.75

Tangle Teezer - £11.99

Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturizer - £8.16

The BodyShop Lip Roll-On in Orange - £3 (introduction price)

The BodyShop DeoDry in Fresh & Floral (refill) - £2

LUSH Grease Lightning - £5.65

The Good Things Miracle Mattifier Moisturiser caught my eye on Ellie's Beauty Blog's May Favourites and as the summer was making oilier than usual I had high hopes! I love that it has such good ingredients, very light and the smell is berry-like. It lingers for a short while, and is quite strong so if it wasn't as fruity I probably wouldn't like it, but because it's a very natural smell I don't mind it. As for the mattifying effects, I don't find it amazing - I find it reasonable. For that I'd recommend Boot's Tea Tree & Witch Hazel Mattifying Lotion, but that one smells horrible! So I think I'll be sticking with this :)

After not being able to locate my hair brush, I bit the bullet for the Tangle Teezer which I've been lusting after for ages! It's a lot lighter than I thought it'd be, but the results are about what I expected. I didn't expect a 100% WOW factor, and while I was right, I'm still impressed! My hair does feel softer, and brushing my hair is easier - I love the idea of protecting my cuticles and the instruction leaflet was so helpful. I'm not sure if it was £12 worth, but other than that, no regrets here at all! :)

When I got my nails done in Malta, the nail woman told me my nails were weak, and recommended Decleor's treatment oil.. for £52. I quickly refused and went on a search in Boots yesterday - as you can see I haven't opened this Sally Hansen Hard As Nails yet, partly because I'm not 100% sure how to use it.. most people recommend it as a base coat, so I'll be doing that soon :) A bit concerned that it's not natural and doesn't promise an infusion of nutrients.. anyone have any cheap recommendations? :/ But I did learn that when you paint your nails you have to leave a gap at the bottom because that way the live cells on your nail can breathe :)

I had no plans to get the new BodyShop Natural Lip Roll-On in Orange but I'm so glad I did, I am in LOOOOVE! Again, the natural ingredients are a major plus for me and the applicator is a metal ball that applies the oil onto your lips. And I LOVE the idea of applying oil onto your lips because that way your lips actually absorb the oils, instead of a cream that just sits on your lips, and so they feel moisturized from within. This deserves a post of its own really, but definitely recommend picking up while it's on introductory offer price! It comes in Orange, Mint, Rose, Coconut and Grape :)

The BodyShop DeoDry in Fresh & Floral is my staple deodorant - full review here :)

I first heard about LUSH Grease Lightning from Vivianna and I've been quite impressed! While I was a bit skeptical because the tea-tree oil from the BodyShop never worked on me, this one has been great! It's an antiseptic, with a gel-like consistency and a pump, and smells like a mix of tea tree oil, lavender and rosemary - gorgeous. I had two under-the-skin pimples right next to each other on my chin, which made me look like I had a Siamese chin, but since I've applied it each evening underneath my night moisturizer it's been getting a lot smaller - very impressed :)

So there it is! My recent essential purchases :)

What have you been buying/loving in your essentials recently? :)

<3yu

HG Deodorant - BodyShop DeoDry

I don't know if HG is reserved for make-up or whatever, but if they do apply to, say, deodorants, the BodyShop DeoDry is definitely my HG deodorant.

Price: £2.50 for case + 1 refill; £2 per refill, available from The Body Shop

Smell: Mine is in Fresh & Floral which is really fresh and unoffensive. There is also Cool & Zesty (green) and Chilled & Breezy (blue).

Packaging: This one is the roll-on with which you can buy the refills, but they also have sticks, which you can't buy refills for.The roll-ons are incredibly effective, as in you use every last drop - nothing goes to waste here! Also small enough to pop in handbag :)

Formula: The selling point is that it doesn't contain aluminum salts, which means they don't give you those horrible white stains. These roll-on ones are quite liquid-y, and don't dry incredibly fast but it's not a problem anyway because it doesn't dry white. It also doesn't stink up the room whenever you use it, or mix in with your perfume which I really like.

Lasting Power: I've worn this in 40 degrees celcius in midsummer Japan, and I think the most I re-applied was twice, and this is whilst taking care of 20 hyperactive children in one room. So yes, I'd say it's quite good, but maybe not always the 24hr that they claim. On a day to day basis I don't really need to reapply, unless I do break sweat rushing somewhere/wearing too many layers, in which case a second time will do the trick for the day.

Overall: 5/5 - no complaints. I love the environmental aspect, the smell, the non-whiteness, subtlety and the lasting power. I'm on my second cartridge and I don't often like something enough to rebuy, but I don't see why I wouldn't rebuy this one again!

May be your perfect addition to prepare for the warmth :)

<3yu

Picking Up Some Essentials..

I've been running out on many things - moisturizers, deodorants etc., so it was about time I plopped myself on a bus to town to pick up some necessities.

L to R: BOTANICS Instant Glow Tinted Moisturizer, Night Shift Moisture Cream, Day Shift Moisture Cream

I was in dire need of a day and night moisturizer so I went to Boots to take a look. Botanics won me over with their good reputation for the make-up remover and the 3 for 2 offer. So I picked up these 3. I LOVE the jars, they are visually pleasing, sturdy, and I wont have to cut up tubes to use up every last drop! They all smell very light, subtle and fresh so I'm very excited to try them out :)

I picked the tinted moisturizer just because it's something I've never had and the rest of the Botanics range were things I have from another brand :)

Tinted moisturizer: £4.59, both creams: £5.10 = £10.20 for the 3 :) Available at Boots.

I also went in wanting to try a new Aussie product, because I have fallen in LOVE with their shampoo & conditioner. Again on offer in Boots, you can get 2 Aussie products (from shampoo, conditioner or 2-in-1 products) for £6. I didn't have anything else I needed so I got this for £4.69. However, if you are wanting a shampoo & conditioner, pop over to Superdrug instead cuz they have a £1 off each which actually works out cheaper :)

On the right is Sally Hansen's Cuticle Massage Cream with Apricot Oil. This was £4.07, and hopefully will cure me of my eternally dry cuticles and nail beds. They are a nightmare, and I often have bandaids on my fingers because they hurt :( So hopefully this will work, because Sally Hansen has an amaaaazing reputation!

This is my HG deodorant, if there is such a thing. These are from Bodyshop, and the one on the left is the actual casing that you can get for £4 - obvs comes with 1 cartridge. The one pictured is the roll-on one, but there is also a stick one too. I'll do a more in-depth review on these, but I bought myself the cartridge that's on the right today for £3 - very eco-friendly and cost-effective. Amazing quality, let's put it that way for now :).

Other than that, I was VERY disappointed by the local H&M, as everything I had hoped to buy online was not in the store. I walked out with yoga pants, a V-neck white t-shirt, and a dust roller. Not too exciting, but these yoga pants are so comfortable.. *wiggles in seat*.

<3yu