My Empties Part Two

Excessive beauty buying and irrational hoarding doesn't bode well for saving space. I have accumulated a large bag of empty (useless) bottles. Why? Because I just can't throw any of them away without documenting how they performed first; the joys of the blogging world eh! So let's get moving so they can finally face the bin. I'm going to make this short and sweet, mainly because I have a list longer than Miley Cyrus' tongue of products that have shed their very last drop and ain't no body got time for that.

Products that have stood out to me over the last few months include Vaseline's Spray & Go Body Moisturiser, this stuff is spot on. It dries in literally seconds and the pure cocoa butter scent is delicious. Super easy for on the go, this spray is already on my shopping list for Glastonbury essentials!

The L'Oreal Gentle Eye Make Up Remover was also a much loved product, it easily removes eye make up without any fuss and gentle on sensitive eyes like mine. This product is not too dissimilar to the ol' Bioderma - yet a fraction of the price!

Rimmel's Lash Accelerator Endless Mascara treated me well for everyday eyes; a great build-able mascara with minimal clumping. I think Rimmel deserve a gold star when it comes to mascaras, I haven't found a bum eye product from them yet.

I am not that often completely disappointed with products but Dove's new dry shampoo offering really failed in my eyes. The Refresh+Care Dry Shampoo left a horrible residue in my hair which made it feel awful to touch. I'm not sure if I was doing it wrong, as everyone else seem to love this, but I was regrettably not so keen. It also didn't last half as long as everyone's standard Batiste. A big thumbs down to Dove on that one...

A 'non-beauty' product here... This Cranberry & Lime Tin Candle from Bomb Cosmetics did not live up to it's candle ancestors. I once had a marshmallow candle from bomb before, the moment I smelt it I thought I had found THE brand to provide me with the most delicious candles that actually fill the room with sweet odors. But no. This candle smelt amazing don't get me wrong, it did however, lack in the 'dispersal' department!

Well there we have it, a pit stop of my used up products, ain't you a lucky devil for reading this.

Here Comes The Summer

Over the past few days there has been a lot of dusting off of sunnies and risky sandal flaunting - all for the eagerly anticipated arrival of summer! This 'limbo' season also means we can sense a make up switch up in the near future; and today I bring to you a few tips to brighten up that face for the warmer months.

Bronzer, bronzer, bronzer - now is your true time to shine. We all like to add a little colour and definition to our frightfully pale faces when the old British weather just doesn't quite cut it. This Bourjois powder is an old fail safe, not too muddy in colour and no overpowering shimmer. This bronzer is so subtle I just take a larger powder brush and swoop it roughly around the contours of my face - basically everywhere...

Freshen up your eye look by swapping browns and taupes for rose and copper hues. The Naked 3 palette from Urban Decay is a perfect summer staple to achieve stunning eyes that look amazing in the sunshine. Also, experiment a little.... reach for an alternative eyeliner colour to spice up a simple every day look. Even a subtle navy or olive green makes a lot of difference when framing the eyes. I find the retractable liners so easy to use and no sharpening necessary wahoo!

Now to the lips... A coral/orange lip is 100% my 'go-to' when the sun puts his hat on, whether it be a solid matte lip or a sheer gloss you can't go wrong with orange (pause for thought; isn't it a tragedy that nothing rhymes with orange?) and it without a doubt looks fantastic sipping on an ice cold cocktail!

So, basically the warmer weather is just an excuse to buy more make up and not feel as guilty;

anyone else switching it up for summer?

Products Pictured (clockwise):

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette

Rimmel Apocolips Lip Lacquer in 'luna'

17 Lasting Fix Lipstick in 'hot chilli'

Miss Sporty Mini-Me Eye Liner in '040 Eucalyptus'

Avon Glimmerstick Eye Liner in 'starry night'

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder in 'light/medium 51'

All About Eyes: eye cream review

Reoccurring troubles with my eyes led me to take the plunge and finally opt for a high end eye cream. I've always had a love/hate relationship with the idea of eye cream, is it really all that, is there really a difference between a £5 'does the job' and a £50 'miracle worker'?

Having said that I had got to my 'last wits end' (only honey boo boo addicts will get that quote) with swollen, irritated eyes and so thought what the heck. I suffer from bags and redness, often with patches of irritated dry skin (tmi?) and so after a swift google and grilling of the sales woman I decided the Clinique All About Eyes Rich would do the job.

After a couple of weeks of use I am ready to report back. I was advised to apply this cream after moisturiser to the contour of my eyes (just on the bone of the socket), with a tapping motion always working out from the centre. And I did just that...

So; Bags? Still there. They ain't budging... But the cream has definitely helped them. They are less obvious and my lids are no where near as swollen in the morning. Bag blunder aside I haven't had a inch of dryness around my eyes since and packing on ample eye shadow hasn't been a problem. I also like the fact it is supposed to 'protect against environmental irritants' - always a good thing to hear! I do think this cream has helped, but I am still not convinced the £25 price tag is a worthy price.

What do you think? Is high end worth it?

Current Skincare

Right now I am generally happy with my skincare routine, it's pretty simple, nothing too fancy but it works for me. My skin is often temperamental but that the moment it's playing ball and these products are helping keep it that way.

In the morning I wash my face with Soap & Glory's Peaches & Clean cleanser as the fresh fruity smell really wakes me up. Described as 'milky-creamy' this cleanser applies and washes off with a hot flannel just like the average face wash. I then gently wipe my face with The Body Shop Tea Tree Toner (in it's new found glory) to remove any excess product before applying a thin layer of Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference refining moisturiser cream complex (that name - phew); I picked this up in T K Maxx having no idea what it was like and to my surprise I absolutely love it, it sinks into the skin after massaging effortlessly and immediately makes it appear younger and brighter. I then apply eye cream on the contour of my sockets with my ring fingers.

My evening routine practically identical apart from switching up my moisturiser for a heavier night cream - I swear by the Vitamin E Night Cream from Superdrug to re-hydrate my skin whilst I sleep. If I feel my skin is slightly clogged or I have blemishes then I opt for the Perfect World Antioxidant Cleanser from Origins to remove my make up, this is a tester size but the full size is already on my wish list... let's not mention the price.

On treat nights I use the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask which makes my face smell good enough to eat, I have reviewed it here and highly recommend it if your skin needs a moisture perk. By far my most favourite part of my skincare set up!

Best of Broadway

I love my UD Naked palettes don't get me wrong, I swear by them, but sometimes it just isn't practical to cart round a full 12 pan palette. I had been tempted by this NYC quad ever since lily pebbles picked it up and pointed out it was a near dupe for Chanel's Charming Ombre from their Christmas collection last year and at a mere £2.99 I couldn't resist for long. It was put it to the test this weekend when I had the almost impossible task of transforming my make up from 'work day' to 'weekend' on a busy, ever so shaky, northern rail train.

Armed with my bargain ebay brush I got to work... Let me say, the colours are perfect, all being slightly shimmery we have; a dark taupe brown, an offering of both chocolate and caramel and a peachy champagne colour. The whole shebang for a defined smokey eye!

Disappointingly the colour pay off wasn't great and the fall out was - I managed to get it everywhere (not an ideal situation in public) but once tided up I was left with a subtle bronzed look that didn't shout 'I cost less than the Starbucks peppermint mocha I'm sipping on'.

With that all well and good it was then time to tackle the eyeliner en route...

NYC Quattro Eye Shadow 'Best of Broadway' 815 - £2.99

L'Oreal Nails

Spring is trying ever so hard to make an appearance and there's nothing like pastels to give brighter days a little encouragement (and I don't just mean mini eggs). L'Oreal have released 4 gorgeous pastel shades in their Perfection Color Riche Nails range, and I couldn't help but pick up a couple on my latest 3 for 2 splurge.

I opted for the pastel yellow, as its one colour I am lacking in my polish collection; and the lilac shade purely because it reminded me of parma violets! Off white pastels are definitely a trend to look out for this spring/summer, they look so clean and fresh and will most certainly compliment a wonderful tan (wishful thinking eh brits?).

These offerings from L'Oreal are the perfect size too – we all know polishes do not last till the end… And the packing itself looks so pretty I want to keep them on display! With 4 shades in total, and at £4.99 each its hard to come up with an excuse to not buy them all.

One point I will make is that the wear time with these polishes isn't great but on the plus side, the brush is! You wine some, you loose some…

Have any of you guys picked these up?

The Instagram Report #03

current set up // best of 2013 // polaroids // I now drink tea // cleanser love // more gellys // birthday antics // palette of dreams // christmas present // the simple things // lols // life saver

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Instagram: alisonruthxo