November 2018 Favourites

Hello everyone! I really wanted to write a blog for you guys today but my creative juices are flowing as well as I would like them to do lately. With that I decided to a monthly favourites post, these are  not the most creative posts but I enjoy reading writing them as well as reading them. I have a good aul mixture to discuss today, from perfume to skincare to bodycare. I'll stop rambling now and just get on with it. Enjoy!

The first of my favourites this month is the Dermalogica Special Cleansing gel. I got this in New York whilst I was over there. I wanted to try this cleanser every since doing my beauty therapy course where we learned about the different Dermalogica products. This cleanser would be more suited to Oily/Combination skin types. It's a soap free foaming cleanser that leaves your skin feeling clean without that awful squeaky tight feeling. It smells mildly minty and a little goes a long way. You can buy it in the majority of beauty therapy salons or online. Currently www.beautyskincare.ie have it on sale for €32.99 for 250ml. I would highly recommend for anyone with oily/combination skin to try it

Keeping with skincare my next favourite is from the french brand Uriage. It's their water serum. I have seen this brand everywhere so I decided to give this serum a try. It's a hyaluronic acid serum made with thermal spring water to hydrate and brighten dehydrated skin. I am obsessed with this stuff! It feels so light putting is on so I know its going to reach the deeper layers of the skin and my skin has been looking more hydrated since using it. Its normally €25 but I got mine on sale in Bergins Pharmacy Newbridge for €12.50. If you are in the Newbridge area check them out as the water serum is always half price there.

Next up is a hair product. I got a little Kerastase travel set off my partner and brought it with me to New York. It's the mask from their Discipline range that I have been loving. This is designed for anti-frizz and is full of keratin. My hair isn't frizzy it just has a mind of it's own, so when I use that I feel that my hair is more relaxed and manageable. You can get a bigger 200ml pot from Feelunique for €26.50 on sale from €38. I know this is pricey but like skincare you pay for what you get and what you get is fab hair.

On to the body now. Ok so I know it is probably pointless showing you this as it was limited edition but I am loving it loads so... Its The Body Shop Vanilla Pumpkin shower gel. This scent is heavenly, it's a mixture if sweet vanilla and spicy pumpkin. A small bit lathers up your whole body and its such a creamy moisturising lather. You might be able to get it online still at thebodyshop.com. If not they have their christmas range out and that looks fab too.

Lastly for my November favourites is a perfume from the Brand Jenny Glow. This is an Irish brand inspired by the fragrances of Jo Malone. The fragrances Jenny Glow have out smell exactly like Jo Malone just without the extortionate price tag. I have been wanted to try the Myrrh and Bean fragrance for weeks before it's release and I finally got my hands on it. I loved Jo Malone's Myrrh and Tonka but could never justify the price, so I would only dowse myself in it at the airport or BT's . The myrrh and bean from Jenny Glow smells identical! I got my 80ml for €14.99 in my local pharmacy and Brown Thomas are selling the Jo Malone version for €90 for 50ml.. I mean come on.. You can get them online in sam mccauleys. Give their other fragrances a look too as you might see other well loved Jo Malone dupes there too.

So that was my November favs, I hope you enjoyed reading them. If ye have any questions about the products mentioned drop me a message. Also let me know what you have been loving this month. 

Byeeeeeeeeee :)

Empties.

Hey guys! Today's post is all about my empties for the year so far. If you don't know what an empties post is about, it's where I go through all my used up or "empty" products and give mini reviews on them. So these are my empties from January to March. Enjoy!

Hair

First we have Lush R&B. Ye are probably sick of seeing this on my blog but its amazing stuff and it still doesn't get enough credit. I takes me a year to finish a 100g pot of this so when I finish it I feel like it's a great accomplishment. I'm not going to bore you with the details, if you want to see a review of this just go to a previous hair care post it's definitely there.

Repurchase = YES

Next is another Lush product called Retread. This is Lush's heaviest conditioner. I bought a small pot when making an order online but I only think it comes in 250g pots in store (correct me if i'm wrong). I use to love it when I worked for the company as it suited my thick hair but the packaging makes it hard to use. You have to pour the pot onto your hand in the shower and it's hard to control how much product comes out. Also if you get water in it you're screwed. It's expensive too, which makes me mad if I accidentally spill some out of the pot, it's like money going down the drain, literally.

Repurchase = NO (unless it will start coming in a bottle).

Last hair care item we have is the Aussie Miracle Dry Shmapoo. It took me ages to finish this up but I persevered. It did the job but it wasn't anything spectacular. I loved the smell at the start but after a few weeks it made me feel nauseous. It's a bubblegum candy smell like they have in a few of there products. 

Repurchase = NO.

Skin Care

First skin care item I have is the NIP+FAB Glycolic Cleansing Fix. I love it! I'm already halfway through a second bottle. It has 2% glycolic acid which helps to brighten the face. It left my skin tone looking so even and brightened. I wouldn't use this everyday because it would be a bit stripping but every second day is fine. It smells so lemony fresh too. An all round good cleanser.

Repurchase = YES.

Sticking with the NIP+FAB theme we have the Glycolic Fix Serum. This has 4% glycolic acid in it. I'm not going to lie I saw no difference after using this product. I was very disappointed because I used it religiously until I finished it and saw no change in my skin. I really wanted to love this because I love the brands other products.Who knows maybe it might work for others.

Repurchase = NO.

Next up is the No7 Beautiful Skin Cleansing Lotion. I bought the beautiful skin mini set in the christmas sale and instantly fell in love with this so much so i went and bought the full size. I have raved about this on another post, however since then I'm not such a fan. I think when I bought this my skin was a little drier but not i'm oily AF again. It does nothing for my skin at all. I don't feel cleansed, I just feel like my skin is weighed down after using it.

Repurchase = NO.

Another mini from that set I finished is the Beautiful Skin Radiance Exfoliator. It was a good little exfoliator, it did the job and wasn't stripping on my sensitive skin. I've used better but I have also used worse.

Repurchase = YES (only if it was on sale).

Last from No7 is the No7 Men Anti-Shine Lotion SPF 15. I bought this last year for my holiday to Gran Canaria. I needed an SPF but I hate putting sunscreen on my face. A lovely lady in boots recommended it to me and it really worked. I didn't burn and I got a nice tan. Even for day to day use here it was brilliant, it mattified my oiliness and kept it at bay.

Repurchase = YES

The Simple Oil Balancing Moisturiser is another product I finished up lately. I have used this multiple times and I like it. It keeps me hydrated and mattified. If thats what you want from a moisturiser then this is the one for you, its simple but effective. I'm looking for something more now, I feel my skin needs a bit extra. All good moisturiser recommendations appreciated!

Repurchase = YES 

Last empty is the Elizabeth Arden Visible Difference Optimizing Skin Serum. I love love love Elizabeth Arden skin care products they just suit my skin so well. I got this mini in a set last year and I have been saving this serum for special occasions. It makes my skin look plump, hydrated and looking fresh. It's a lightweight serum so it suits my oily face. It smells divine. I'm going to start saving for a full size.

Repurchase = YES

So there you have it! Those for were my empties so far this year. I don't hold back at all, if I think something isn't worth the money i'm not going to recommend it. Hope you enjoyed and I'll have another one ready in a few more months when I get through my every growing product stash.

Byeeeeeeee :)

Product Review: Primark's PS Love To Glow Face Mask and Serum.

Hey guys! Today I'm going to be reviewing the PS Love To Glow mask and serum from Penneys/Primark. If ye follow me on instagram or Snapchat ye know I've been reviewing these items the last few weeks. I heard that the mask was a dupe for the L'Oréal Pure Clay glow mask so I had to see if it's true. The Penneys mask retails €3.50 and the L'Oréal mask usually retails for around the €11 mark. Your know me and bargains, if there's one to be had I'm all over it. With the serum I was looking for a cheaply priced one  and this one was under a fiver so I couldn't leave it there.

The packaging of the mask looks a little like the glam glow mask (a very expensive alternative ) with its smooth sleek jar. The colour of the mask is cool too, It's a silvery grey colour. It claims to have argon oil and Vit E in it which helps to achieve the glowy look. When using it I apply it to a cleansed face for 15 mins then wash off.  I wash it off in circular motions as it has a mild exfoliant in it. This is very similar to the L'Oréal mask where it also has an exfoliant.

What's the verdict? I love it! It is 100% a dupe for the L'Oréal glow mask. It left my skin feeling the exact same way as the more expensive mask. My skin looked brighter, more even and glowy. The light exfoliant removes dead skin the reveal newer brighter skin. I actually am almost out of the mask already but I'm definitely repurchasing.  If your strapped for cash or don't want to pay €11 for a face mask give the PS Love To Glow mask a go and you can spend the difference on a Starbucks or something!

Next up is the serum.. I'm not going to beat around the bush here, I hate it. I used it 3/4 times and after each use I broke out. I put the serum onto the high points of my cheeks, the temples and my forehead. Each place I put it on I broke out. The funny thing was that it wasn't even a heavy serum, if anything it felt just like a normal cream. A serum under a fiver.. I wasn't expecting a miracle but I wasn't expecting a breakout either. It's been 4 weeks since my last use and I still have blemishes on my cheeks. Now what doesn't work for me might not, not work for you, this is just my experience and a little word of warning.

Overall it was a mixed review. On one hand the glow mask is now apart of my regular routine and I'm loving the fact I'm saving money and on the other I have a product that I'll never put near my face again. More times than not you really pay for what you get when it comes to skincare but it's nice when you find dupes such as the mask.

Feel free to leave a comment below if ye have any questions or if there's a product ye want me to review.

Have a good day! Byyyyeeeeeeeee :)