DIVYA THOMPSON

Monday, 13 January 2014

Hairspiration

If you follow me on Pinterest, you'll know that my thoughts have turned to all things hair. I've been desperately trying to rescue my dry and damaged hair for a while now but all the colouring, blowdrying, straightening and curling has finally taken its toll and I think it's time I cut my losses (pun fully intended)! I'm thinking of something along the lines of a shoulder length bob that can be styled easily and will be pretty low maintenance.

Which is your favourite look from the ones above? I'm still undecided!

All images sourced from Pinterest.

Klorane Shampoo with Mango Butter

So I've managed to find a shampoo that I like that isn't high end! Now it's nothing on either of my favourite shampoos but it is a good one.

It's the Shampoo with Mango Butter from french pharmacy brand Klorane, which got added into my basket when I was stocking up on some skincare bits from Escentual. It has a lovely rich consistency which means you don't need to much of it, it lathers up really well, leaves hair feeling fresh and clean but still moisturised. Not an easy task for shampoos I find, as most that leave my hair feeling clean also leave it feeling dry and stripped. As well as all that, it smells really good, fruity but in a fresh kind of way, not at all over sweet or syrupy.

I'm definitely looking to try more products from this brand, any recommendations?

Empties #5

Another month, another empties post, where I share with those who are interested what products I've used up, what I thought of them and wether or not I'll be repurchasing them. So here goes!

First up, bath and body, I was so sad to use up the last of my Botanics Relieving Bath Soak it smells amazingly relaxing, creates lots of lovely bubbles that don't dry out skin and is rather friendly on the wallet. It's by far my favourite high street/ drugstore bath product, it feels and smells so luxurious you'd think it was high end! Repurchase? Definitely!

Are you fed up of seeing Soap & Glory products in my empties posts yet? I'm certainly not fed up of using them! I've worked my way through their Clean On Me Shower Gel, it smells like Miss Dior, has built in moisturiser to leave your skin feeling soft and makes you wander around singing 'lean on me…' all morning! Repurchase? Yes

Yep, another Soap & Glory product, this time it's their Flake Away Body Scrub, with the same amazing scent as the shower gel and an amazingly scrubby texture this is by far the best scrub I've ever found, and trust me, I've tried a lot! Repurchase? Yes

I don't normally use body sprays but when I spotted the Yardley Peony Body Spray I had to try it, I love absolutely anything peony fragranced and this one definitely didn't disappoint! Repurchase? They also make an Eau De Toilette of this scent which I'm trying to get my hands on instead.

Onto skincare, seeing as I went away over Christmas I took some of my minis with me. I don't usually use foaming cleansers, I tend to stick with gentler cream or oil formulas but seeing as I had a mini Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser, I thought I'd give it a go. It's very gentle for a foaming cleanser, as the name would suggest, it leaves the skin feeling quite soft and nourished and it's handy if you don't want to be faffing about with flannels like I usually do. That said, I'm still not converted! Repurchase? No

On the other hand I absolutely loved the Clarins HydraQuench Cream for Normal to Dry Skin, I've used a few of their products from this range and they've all been winners with me, this cream is really rich and moisturising but still has a light texture that sinks into the skin easily. My skin never felt dry while using it. Repurchase? Yes

Next up, Caudalie Grape Water, I absolutely love this stuff, you can use it in so many ways, as a toner, to set makeup or just when your skin needs an extra moisture boost. Full review here. Repurchase? Already have!

The Body Shop do some really great budget skincare products and the Hemp Face Protector is one of my favourites for parched, uncomfortable, eczema prone, winter skin. It's a really rich nourishing formula that keeps all those nasties at bay! Full review here. Repurchase? Yes

I usually love Kerastase products but unfortunately the Resistance Masque Force Architecte was a bit of a disappointment. It wasn't terrible, but it was nowhere near as good as the masks in their Nutritive range. Repurchase? No

Last of all I finished an Avon Brow Definer in Soft Black, the first ever brow product I've ever used up! The formula and staying power was great but I found the colour to be a tiny bit on the dark side. Repurchase? Yes but one shade lighter.

What products have you used up lately?

Boots Sale Haul!

No wallets were harmed during this haul, I got it all on boots points, I love getting a good bargain! So remember a few days ago I mentioned my favourite beauty and fashion sale picks? Well as you can see some of them made it into my basket!

I went a bit crazy with the Boots Extracts range, but seeing as I'd wanted to try them for a while, they were on half price and I had some points stashed up, I thought, why not? I got the full size Cocoa Butter Collection which contains a full size shower gel, body scrub and body butter for only a fiver. As well as the 4 Pack Body Butter Collection which contains mini versions of their cranberry, coconut, mango and cocoa butter body butters for £4, making them just a pound each. I also got the matching set of 4 mini shower gels in the same scents which seem to have sold out online now but if you're lucky you might be able to snap them up from your local boots.

Last but by no means least I picked up the Sanctuary Triple Moisture Bliss Set which contains 3 of their best selling body butters in 100ml tubs. I had my eyes on this set last last christmas but it sold out before I could get my hands on it so I'm really glad I managed to get hold of it this year!

I think it's safe to say I now have enough body butter to last a lifetime, or until next years sales at least! What have you been buying in the sales?

Lee Stafford My Big Fat Root Boost Mousse Spray Review

When it comes to hair styling products, Lee Stafford make some pretty good ones. Yes a lot of them smell like concentrated, liquid sugar but they work! This one, the My Big Fat Root Boost Mousse Spray, luckily doesn't have a strong scent and I find it's brilliant for adding a bit of volume into the roots.

The spray mousse comes with a targeted spray nozzle, making it really easy to spray the product just where you need it. I spray it into the roots of my hair post serum but pre blow-dry and massage it into the scalp a little. I then blow-dry my hair as normal and it holds a great lift in the roots without making my hair feel sticky or crunchy. It also lasts well, right up until my next hair wash!

At 6.99 it's really good value because I find it's just as good as some of the high end alternatives, it also often comes on a 3 for 2 offer which makes it even more of a bargain. Definitely worth a try if your hair needs a little va-va-voom!

Clarins 'Special' Eye Contour Balm Review

When it comes to eye creams, I'm quite a newbie. I've only really been using them for the last year and so I haven't tried very many. They are definitely the area of skincare that I know the least about! That said, I have found one that I really love, it's the Clarins 'Special' Eye Contour Balm. So what's special about it? It's a richer version of their regular Eye Contour Balm so it's much better for drier skins in need of an extra moisture boost.

As I've mentioned before, the skin around my eyes often gets really dry, tight and uncomfortable in the colder months and this is the only thing that manages to make them feel normal again. I use a rice sized amount and pat it around the eye area using my ring finger every night and it usually gets rid of any soreness or dryness come morning. If I've been outdoors or my eyes are feeling extra dry then I even use it in the day time, even though it's a super rich formula it still allows concealer to sit nicely on top of it under then eyes. I tend to skip eyeshadow if I'm using it though, mostly because when my eyes are dry and sore the last thing I want to do is put unnecessary products onto them! That said, if you wanted to, a bit of eyeshadow primer would stop any shadow creasing.

All in all, it's a wonderful product that I would recommend to anyone with dry skin or eczema around their eyes. I can't really comment on the 'softens fine lines' claim as I don't have any yet, I'll get back to you on that one in a few years time! The tube is a very generous size for an eye cream and because you use such a tiny amount it last absolutely ages. I've been using the same tube I bought last winter every night since then and I've only used about a quarter of the tube which makes it great value for money!

Do you use an eye cream in your skin care routine?