Clarins Hand and Nail Treatment Cream Review

This has become one of my favourite hand creams very quickly, I've used up around 3 full sized and 2 deluxe sample sized hand creams of this so far. Depicted is a deluxe sample size which is almost finished. I always cut open the tube to make sure I don't throw away any product.

It costs £21 for 100ml which is costly in comparison to other hand creams which may cost around £10 for 100ml, but this is a luxury product. It is available online and at Clarins counters.

It has a delicate scent which isn't very strong nor very floral, I'm awful at describing scents so you'll have to go and take a whiff yourselves in store but it's definitely a good one. I can't stand very potent scents as they make me feel nauseous and this doesn't do that.

The packaging is minimalist and simple, the 100ml is a good size to throw into your handbag, keep at your desk, have in your car etc. It's not huge but it is larger than other hand creams.

The product itself is a white cream, not very thick like a balm but not so thin to be a lotion, it sinks in quickly and is a pleasure to use. As for the claims, yes it does soften hands, I don't have any age spots so cannot confirm or deny that it minimises them; I do agree that it strengthens nails.

I think it would be suitable for all skins, I suffer from very dry hands in the Winter and especially when I have to wash them all the time and this does help to moisturise them and make them feel a bit better. I have started to get rough dry patches too, for which I combine this and a balm and it works pretty well.

I would repurchase this even though it is so expensive, I have many hand creams to use up already so will be concentrating on those, as well as another tube of this. It is most definitely a luxury product and you could save it to only use at night before bed or whenever you prefer to get the most out of it.

Which are your favourite hand creams?

Lush Charity Pot Hand and Body Lotion Review

I bought Lush's Charity Pot as an impulse buy at the till while waiting to buy all the various bubble bars I picked up, it cost £6.95 for 95g and is a vegan product. All of the cost aside from VAT goes to the charity displayed on the top of the lid. There are two other sizes, 10g for £1 and 240g for £12.75.

It is a very light, quickly absorbed body lotion, it smells like white chocolate to me mixed in with a floral scent, the scent is quite strong and will last about an hour at least before settling. The only potentially "bad" ingredients on the list are parabens, otherwise it has almond oil, cocoa butter and other lovely moisturising ingredients like ylang ylang oil.

The pot has lasted me quite a while too, at least two weeks with regular use and I have some left. I love the charity side to this, I think it's brilliant that my £5.56 went straight to the named charity and I got a body lotion! Lush most definitely do not test on animals either. I like the simplistic packaging too, also if you collect five of Lush's pots and take them in empty you can get a free fresh face mask.

I would consider repurchasing, but not for the moment as I already have many more body lotions and creams to use up!

Have you tried this? What's your favourite body lotion?

L'Occitane Immortelle Brightening Hand Care SPF20

I picked this up a little while ago at a stand alone L'Occitane store as the "brightening" and SPF20 appealed to me. The product has 75ml of hand cream for £19, and is available online and in their stores from what I can see, there is also an SPF15 version available on feelunique.

This contains chemical sunscreens from what I've managed to decipher and the directions for use are to apply 15 minutes before sun exposure to the back of the hands, I find this instruction to be really strange as I'd need the front of my hands to apply it to the backs... Unless I rubbed it in with the backs of my hands facing each other... They also suggest we use their Shea butter hand cream before using this, I didn't want to spend more so I stuck to just this and thought if required I could always use another hand cream I have at home.

The packaging is quite simple but their are hints of luxury visible too, the bottle shape is certainly very different and I really like that it is, the bottom of the cap is also engraved with the brand's logo. The cream itself is a basic white, quite light yet hydrating cream. I use it as I would a normal hand cream, none of this "backs of hands" stuff.

Here are the claims in shorter versions:

- Smoothes hands (Immortelle flower stimulates collagen production)

- Evens skintone, reduces appearance of age spots (includes Bellis perennis - daisy, which regulates melanin production)

- SPF20 broad spectrum protects against sun damage

There are also figures from testing on 34 women over 4 weeks so I decided to test this product for 4 weeks too. I started using it in early April and now it is early May and this is the only hand cream I have used during the day time, at night I've been using whichever one has been closest to me at the time!

It's very light, easily absorbed and doesn't leave white casts on the hands. It doesn't rub off or cause any stickiness or any other issues but does have a noticeable scent. I am yet to notice any brightness or evening of skintone but I will definitely keep using it as it seems like the best hand cream with sun protection I have found to date. I think I would prefer one with UVA protection included too but I do like this one.

Would I recommend?

Yes, it's a lightweight, travel-friendly, easily absorbed, functional hand cream. The price is a bit high but then it is from a higher end brand.

*L'Occitane are cruelty free from what I've understood from this statement although there is confusion online and they are not listed on BUAV's website*

Boudoir Privé - October 2011

I got my Boudoir Privé box a little while ago, I haven't used everything in it but here's what I got and my thoughts...I also have a little ramble for you towards the end!

The contents:

I haven't included prices, I typed them all up but then blogger decided not to save. I'm sorry, I just don't want to redo everything again.

I'm actually really happy with this month's box, I've previously tried a tiny sample of Korres' Guava Body Butter and I thought it was great, the scent wasn't amazing for me, but it wasn't bad. I'm so happy they've included the StudioMakeup Eyeliner Pen, I don't own any felt tip type eyeliners and I've always wanted to try one, this is also full size and in black. The two Cetuem products look interesting but I'm not entirely sure if I want to use them, because I don't want to alter my skin in anyway, only protect it and bring it to its natural state...by that I mean I'd like to lose the tan and the blemishes, then my skin would be as it was originally, but I'm not sure I'd be happy using these without checking up on the ingredients and how they work. Interesting products though. I've heard so much about the Rose & Co Rose Petal Salve, and apparently it's great, I just don't like using my fingers for balms, hence why all my tubes finish a lot quicker...but I may give this a go...I didn't love the perfume because of the strength I think, and just the scent in general, it'll get used up quickly though, I'll just spray it in my room or around the house. The Leonor Greyl hair oil is gorgeous, it smells great, feels great on the hair, not yucky and greasy and actually stayed in my hair after shampoo, I shampooed it twice and then conditioned. I'm not entirely sure if there is a difference but I think there is...obviously there isn't a scientific measure so I can't say, and even if there was I'd pick at it...but brilliant overall, I liked it at least!

Unfortunately I have now unsubscribed from Boudoir Privé, I simply cannot afford to pay for 5 boxes per month and I didn't think that they were offering as much as the other boxes for similar prices, I think this is their first box with larger products... I thought very hard and long about which box I'd like to unsubcribe from and weighing everything up Boudoir Privé seemed the best box for me to drop for the moment. I would like to add that they are a fantastic company from my experience and I've had no issues whatsoever with them, they're very polite, prompt and show that they care about each customer individually. I've just had to drop the box for now at least.

I've also thought about dropping beauty box posts from the blog altogether, I know I've written a lot of these in a short space of time and I feel like the blog is being taken over by them! Please let me know in the comments how you feel about this, and if you disagree with me completely even. I'm looking into which box to drop next, because I can't afford much at the moment, I check out all the things I want in my online window shops and then empty my basket...oh! Please check out my blogsale on the tab above and I'll post your things asap!

Sorry for the long, rambling, self-pitying post! I hope you enjoyed nonetheless! Many thanks for reading :)

Amarya Beauty Box - October 2011

I received my lovely beauty box by Amarya yesterday and I was thrilled with the contents. Here's everything and my thoughts:

Lavera Eye Gel - sample sachet (1.5ml?) - price/worth unknown

terre d'Oc Powder Eyeshadow in 502 - Full size - £12.95

Dr Hauschka Daily Revitalising Eye Cream - 1.5ml sample - worth £3.35

Neom Organic Body Wash - 50ml - worth £4.25

Madara Eco Face Travel Set - Full size - £6.95

Total Value of Box: at least £27.50

Amount Paid: £10

Total Saving: £17.50

Here are my first impressions of the box:

I really loved opening it this month, it really and truly felt like I'd got a surprise birthday present, I'm not sure why though! Probably because I hadn't had a package in so long! Anyway...I'm happy with the box overall, very happy with the Madara travel set and as I have combination skin-tone I was impressed with Amarya, even though I secretly knew that everyone has got the same one. I've stored it away for when I do travel, I love the look of the Neom body wash and it smells nice too, think herbal scents. Although I haven't tried the Lavera eye gel or Dr Hauschka's eye cream, I don't like sample sachets to try the creams or any creams, because they dry out before I can utilise them properly - unless I transfer them to a little pot which are always occupied so hard for me to do. Finally the terre d'Oc eyeshadow, it's a loose eyeshadow in a very unique shaped pot and a very pretty colour. I think I'll use it as an all over shade on my lazy days!

Based on my first impressions this box gets a 9/10!

Thank you so much for reading, let me know what you think of your Amarya box, or if you haven't signed up, are you tempted yet? :)

Review: No7 Revitalising Hand Saviour

I picked this up recently with a No7 voucher at Boots and it's most definitely a unique product. It is available for £11 at Boots.

It is hypo-allergenic like all No7 products, and here are a few snippets of what was on the packaging:

Exfoliates and moisturises for softer hands, in an instant

Exfoliating salt crystals to gently smooth and renew

Leaves hands wrapped in moisture and feeling petal soft

It also contains a nourishing blend of almond and grapeseed oil and intensively moisturising brazilian cupuacu butter.

This is an exfoliator specifically for the hands, the ingredients and nourishing oils result in a very runny consistency. You use it like a soap but on dry hands, so shake the tube lightly to ensure the oils and the exfoliating crystals mix together well, then take a little product onto your hands and rub in well, it feels very silky but with the harshness of the crystals combined allow this to be an effective exfoliator. I use this about 4-5 times a week even though I'm constantly washing my hands I don't want to over exfoliate.

Despite the crystals being quite harsh, the silky texture of this exfoliator ensures that your hands don't completely dry out. Your hands are left feeling nice but I wouldn't necessarily say that they are as moisturised as using a handcream, I would still suggest using a hand cream afterwards for the full treatment. Applying this initially wasn't the easiest because of the runny liquid formula, but you get used to it quite quickly, the packaging is also fine, but maybe having some form of leakage prevention on the squeezy part would have been useful.

At £11 for 75ml I wouldn't repurchase, when using a body exfoliator or scrub in the bath/shower that can also be used to exfoliate hands, so I wouldn't deem this product as a necessity.

Product: 8/10

Effectiveness: 8/10

Texture/Formula: 9/10

Value: 7/10

Packaging: 4/5
Application: 4/5
Repurchase: No

Overall: 8/10

GlossyBox - September 2011

I received my GlossyBox in the post today and here's what I got!

HD Brows Eye&Brow Palette - Full size - £24.95

Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse - 10ml sample - £2.75

Rahua Shampoo and Conditioner - 2x 10ml and 8ml samples - £1.60 and £1.37

Plum by Mary Greenwell - 1.5ml sample - £1.80

Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm - 5ml sample - £4.60

Total Value: £37.07 

Amount Paid: £12.95

Saving: £24.12

I've looked at and already used some items and here are my thoughts.

I really appreciate the addition of a full sized HD eye&brow palette in this month's box because I don't own anything for my brows at the moment and wanted to experiment with them. My eyebrows are very dark though so I'm not entirely sure if I would benefit from this palette for my eyebrows, however I may use it as an eyeshadow palette too - which is also one of the recommended uses.

The Nuxe multi-purpose dry oil is something I've been wanting to try for absolutely ages, so I'm very glad I got this in my box! I wish it had been slightly larger though, but it's fine!

The Rahua (pronounced RA-WA) Shampoo and Conditioner sachets haven't really gone down very well with me, I took one of the sachets into the shower and it was nowhere near enough the amount of shampoo and conditioner I would usually use, I also found it didn't lather very well. This may be because there wasn't enough product for my hair, so I can't really give a full opinion on this, but my first impressions aren't great. The scent of both products is lovely though.

Plum by Mary Greenwell is the signature fragrance of celebrity makeup artist Mary Greenwell, when I smelt this in the bottle, to me it was a wine made from plums, however now that I've worn it all day, it smells different to me, I really like it and I think it's very unique. It lingers on the skin for ages and the scent is quite noticeable, even with a little application.

Finally, the Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm, by a Hungarian brand. I opened it and it's black! I was a little horrified because I don't think I've ever seen or used anything that looks quite grimy to cleanse my face. It is an award winning balm and created with minerals, so naturally I'm excited to try this.

Overall, I really like this month's GlossyBox, I admit that I would have liked to try a salt scrub or a hair treatment, but my box was great. I award this month's box 8/10. It would have received a 9/10 if it wasn't for the random addition of £2.95 P&P charge for the September box and future months! (Yes, I am still sulking about that. It wasn't advertised initially.)

What do you think of this month's box? Did you receive anything different? Are you tempted to join up to GlossyBox yet?


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Review: Olavie Chardonnay Wine Therapy Antioxidant Body Butter

I received a 30ml sample of this body butter in my Boudoir Privé box for August, and I've now used it up completely! (Meaning it'll be making another appearance in my August Empties this month!) This calls for a review!

The full sized body butter by Olavie retails at £43.55 for 240ml and comes packaged in the standard tub in which most body butters are usually found in. It has a very soft thick luxurious texture and feel to it, and once rubbed in dries quickly too. The 30ml sample lasted me about 5-6 days using it on my legs only and smells gorgeous. I couldn't pinpoint the scent but it is very recognisable and lovely. My legs stayed moisturised and soft for around a whole day each time I used them, I couldn't test it for longer because I had to shower!

I didn't like the sample bottle though because it was very difficult to get the body butter out, I had to tap it several times to get a little bit of the product and when I tried squeezing it this resulted in the complete opposite effect of the butter being taken back into the bottle! I would love to repurchase this when I can afford to spend nearly £50 on a body butter but for the moment I won't be.

Reading up on Olavie and this range I found that the antioxidant effects included in the body butter stem from wine and the Chardonnay grape seed. This is also supposed to aid anti-aging and be considerably more beneficial to your health overall. I didn't find that my skin improved in anyway, it was just very moisturised and looked well taken care of - although I did only have a small sample!

Product: 17/20

Texture/Formula: 9/10

Packaging: 7/10
Application: 9/10
Repurchase: No

Overall: 8.4/10

This new rating system is to provide a quick snapshot of my experiences with the product. The product itself, and the texture and/or formula of the product. Wear is a rating of how long and well the item stays on, packaging and application are also reviewed. The repurchase line is whether I would repurchase the item again or not. Overall shows the average scoring of the product out of 10.

GlossyBox - August 2011

I finally got my GlossyBox when I went to pick it up from the delivery office because the postman decided ringing the doorbell would be too much of a task for him. But I got it, so yay! This month's GlossyBox includes a few things I'm really looking forward to trying and another few which are completely unnecessary and unwanted - but that's what is to be expected as it is a surprise box each month!

So this month's GlossyBox included the following:

Ahava DeadSea Water Mineral Body Lotion (40ml - £3.52)

Murad Time Release Acne Cleanser (30ml - £4.35)

Daniel Sandler Baby Jet Mascara (4.5ml - £12.80)

KMS California Hairstay Style Boost (200ml - £13.70)

Rebel Nails Nail Wraps (£5.99)

The total value of this month's GlossyBox is £40.36 resulting in a saving of £30.36 as it was only £10 for August. I haven't used anything from the box yet seeing as I'm still trying to use up so many products already but I'll let you know of my first impressions now. The Ahava body lotion looks and smells great, I'd never heard of the brand before so I'm glad they included it, I'm also happy about the Murad Cleanser because I'm always on the lookout for magic cleansers that will improve my complexion.

Although the Daniel Sandler mascara is full-sized and probably a great mascara I feel like I already have too many and that a mascara specifically for the edges and smaller lashes isn't a necessity. I'm excited to try the KMS California Hairstay Style Boost because I don't own anything like this and haven't tried anything like it before too, a full-size version of this is a real bonus! Finally the nail wraps, these are of no use to me at all, I think removing and applying nail polish would actually be quicker than using these, especially as I don't even own a hairdryer! - shock, horror, I know (I'm looking for one I assure you!).

My overall thoughts: I think in terms of value for money GlossyBox exceed expectations every month, I love that they include full-sized products but for this month I'm only interested in 3/5 products, but as the value is so great I give this box a 7/10.

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Boudoir Privé - August 2011

I received my Boudoir Privé Beauty Box and I really liked it. I haven't included many pictures because I don't really like very image-heavy posts. It included the luxury samples as promised, and in different categories - makeup, haircare, bodycare, skincare, lifestyle and fragrance. It arrived with a lovely, very thoughtful handwritten card by the Founder of Boudoir Privé - Thérèse and a highly informative leaflet providing details about each sample included.

Here's what was included in my box:

- Sachajuan Hair Conditioner (100ml - £10)

- Jane Iredale PureLash Extender and Conditioner (small sample - full size 89ml RRP £13)

- Babor HSR Lifting Extra Firming Cream (small sample - full size 50ml RRP £82)

- Etat Libre D'Orange Archives 69 and Rien (1.5ml each - full sizes respectively 50ml £74 and £52.50)

- Olavie Antioxidant Body Butter (small bottle - full size RRP £43.55)

- Bloom Green Tea and White Tea Duo (sample each - full size pack of 10 RRP £4)

I haven't tried everything yet but I am happy with the box overall. I feel like this particular box is aimed at an older audience, I gave the Babor cream to an older lady, the tea I think is a nice touch, whether you drink tea, despise it or enjoy it once in a while. I found the PureLash Extender and Conditioner to be very lengthening to my lashes however I don't think it is a deluxe sample - especially as the full size is 89ml! The packaging of the Etat Libre D'Orange perfumes slightly annoyed me because of the explicit sexual image on the Archives 69 sample but they do smell nice once applied. I have heard of Sachajuan before but I haven't ever tried any of their products so am glad that their hair conditioner was included. Finally, the Olavie body butter I think is amazing, I'd never heard of the brand before this box though.

Overall: I think this is a good box with a value above the £10 paid for the P and P, the box and the products inside. It was personalised which I loved, the customer service and interaction from the company is brilliant and efficient. Before making a hard and fast decision I would deem it wise to experience a few more of their boxes. I give this month's box a 7/10.

What did you think of this month's box? Will you be subscribing?

GlossyBox - July 2011

My GlossyBox arrived today so I thought I'd put up a quick post about my first thoughts on it!

The 5 things it contains this month are:

- Illamasqua Pure Pigment in Conquer (1.3g/0.04oz)
- Xen-Tan Weekly Self-Tan (30ml/1oz)
- Weleda Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil (100ml/3.4fl oz)
- Ciaté Paint Pot in Beach Melba (13.5ml)
- 2 Etat Libre D'Orange Eau De Parfum (1.5ml x 2)

I love the Illamasqua Pure Pigment, Conquer is a deep green shade and looks very pretty. I've never used any Illamasqua products because I am trying to spend the least I possibly can on makeup because my collection is very large now! This is also a full-sized pigment worth £15.50, very impressive!

I have no interest in the next product, the Xen-Tan Premium Sunless Tan because I dislike tanning! Therefore will be thinking of what to do with it... The sample size is great though - 30ml.

The Weleda Body Oil looks interesting, but the claims "Indulgently firms and renews" imply that this is for an older target audience, but I'll give it a shot and if I don't feel like it's doing anything for me, hand it over to a lady older than myself! This is another full size product worth £19.95!

The Ciaté Paint Pot is another great product but I have too many pale pink/nude shades so I would have liked a different shade! This is worth £9 and is another full sized product!

Finally, the Etat Libres D'Orange are very small samples of 2 different perfumes, that upon first "smelling" smell great!

Overall I am very impressed with this month's GlossyBox, it contains 3 full size products worth £44.45 together without the self-tan and tiny samples, although I expect the perfume samples would be free anyway. So a £44.45+ box for £10 and free delivery, I'm impressed! I give this month's GlossyBox a 8/10! Products will be reviewed individually too.

The last point I'd like to make though after seeing a few other GlossyBoxes I would have much preferred the UltraSun sunscreen instead of the tan! A nice little bottle of Orla Keily instead of the random perfume samples and a coloured Ciaté Paint Pot! GlossyBox should get a move on with their profile-creating!

Thank you for reading!

Have you got your GlossyBox this month? Like it? A fail? Let me know in the comments below!


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My first ever GlossyBox! June 2011

Hi!

Sorry I haven't been posting as frequently as I'd like to, I've had many busy days and some very lazy days so no blogging gets done! This post is going to be a little snapshot of what I got in this month's GlossyBox and my first impressions of the box, its contents and Glossybox in general.

This is my first ever GlossyBox, I ordered on 6th May and the email I received said I would receive a GlossyBox on 6th May! So I asked GlossyBox on twitter what this meant and it turned out that I wouldn't be getting one until June...I was very disappointed. I think as a brand new company it should have been prepared for such a high demand for the service and been able to provide for all those interested! When you usually order things, they are in stock unless stated otherwise and depending on delivery are received pretty quickly. I was very excited to receive my first box...

Onto the contents of this month's box and my first impressions:

There's a small leaflet(?) explaining what's in the box along with some discount codes on separate pieces for the brands in the box.

Here we have this month's 5 luxury samples... I could honestly go off on one about how damaging and unthoughtful it is for GlossyBox to have placed a £1.52, 50ml bottle of Batiste Dry Shampoo in Original, in the box but I will say so politely. GlossyBox advertise themselves to provide luxury samples, from luxury brands, Batiste is not a luxury brand. I cannot emphasise enough how disappointed I am again, especially as this box is/was a lot of customers' first box.

Next up, is an eau de parfum by Perles de Lalique, definitely a luxury brand thank goodness. The bottle is beautiful and I loved the packaging too, it's only 4.5ml but looks like a lot of perfume. Eau de parfum is the most concentrated form of scent available so it would be the most costly if bought alone, £68 for 100ml. The only issue I have with this is the scent itself, it's a sophisticated scent, but one for a much older lady in my opinion, so I'm not sure if I'll be keeping it or just using it up when I can.

In the little pouch is the Bioeffect EGF Serum, the wondrous skincare product from Iceland. This sample is worth £30, and a full sized 15ml vial is £125 and 5ml for £49. I would expect this to be for an older lady again but the leaflet does say it is for any age and any skin type so I will be trying this and hopefully reviewing it soon.

Next is the small designer nail lacquer by OPI in Coronation, the other one available was Extravagance. I really like this colour and the application seems to be good too, I will review this too, but very happy with this item!

Finally in my box was a 100ml bath and shower gel by Abahna, in the white grapefruit and may chang scent. I haven't much to say about this product as I have yet to try it out, so will put it in a review for you. For 250ml it is £17 so a luxury product for sure. Instead of the bath and shower gel there were many other possibilities of various items that could have been in the box, one of which being a Rouge Bunny Rouge lipgloss, that I wish I'd got!

The box itself I am impressed with, the sturdiness and classy décor is something I also love. It's perfect for storing various bits and bobs, and depending on future contents of GlossyBoxes I'd love to have a little stack of these filled with various items. They could also be used to house presents for other people. Love the box itself.

Finally, GlossyBox overall. Disappointed with the fact that I didn't receive a "May box" when I ordered in May, very upset with the £1.52 worth of Batiste - clearly not a luxury brand, disappointed again with the increase in price of GlossyBox from September, to £12.95, the extra £2.95 for P and P - no indication of this was given when advertising the box. Happy with the box itself and most of the items. For June, I give GlossyBox a 5/10. I will review items separately too.

Thank you very much for reading! :)

What was in your GlossyBox? Love/Like/Hate?

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Review: Boots Amazon Forest "Passion Flower and Cupuacu" Hand and Nail Cream



I bought this as part of a set a few Christmases ago and I still have it because I can't find it anywhere...this saddened me a lot so I set out to research on the internet to find it, and I did! ...in the US...!

Anyway back to the review and links at the end. This is an amazingly soft and luxurious handcream although very light in texture. It smells of passion fruit, a smell I happen to love :) a very small amount is needed or you're wasting the product as the excess amount will take a lot of time to soak in and your hands won't need it. I like the packaging as it's very simple and compact, so you can pop it into your handbag/purse and off you go.

I'm not sure why Boots haven't got this in the UK anymore, the whole Amazon Forest range has disappeared but there is a similar range although not as amazing in my opinion...

Link to USA handcream: http://www.target.com/Boots-Amazon-Forest-Passion-Cupuacu/dp/B0015A68N2

It's a much larger and different bottle but hopefully will still be awesome! It's $9.99 at Target.

This is my favourite handcream ever that I have ever tried in my entire life! :) I give it 10/10.

Thank you for reading :)

Review: Boots Ingredients Cocoa Butter and Mallow Body Lotion

This is such a handy body lotion to have! It's very moisturising and smells amazing. The scent is flowery but muted, so not overwhelming, it also doesn't linger around for long unless you directly sniff your skin, which is a bonus for me as I find a lot of very strong scents give me headaches unfortunately.

It's only £1.99 and I've used it for a week now and I still have so much left! It's in a 300ml pump bottle which you can twist to dispense or lock the pump so there's no waste! It feels very light on the skin and sinks in quickly, it's not a rich butter if that's what you're after. I think this would be most suited to the summer months because of it's light texture but it works well on elbows and knees so I really like it. It's not my favourite ever so I give it an 8/10.

Thank you for reading :)

Review: Hand Food - Soap & Glory Hand Food Hand Cream

YAY for this hand cream! Its smooth, quick-drying, non-sticky formula has certainly won me over! It retails at £4.75 for 125ml or £2.30 for 50ml, and is available at Boots.

You only need a very tiny bit and it is enough for both hands, keeps them moisturised for about 4-6hrs if you don't have much manual work to do otherwise apply frequently. During school days it lasted me about 4hrs without the need to reapply, but I love the smell so much so I used to anyway!

It contains gorgeous macadamia oil which softens and moisturises hands very efficiently, I love the packaging and the strange quotes and general feel about Soap & Glory, I've also read many interviews with the founder of this brand (and of Bliss) - Marcia Kilgore, a very smart woman who regularly gives skincare tips to magazines and so on.

Overall I love this cream and many more Soap & Glory products, I don't feel there is much more to say...In terms of comparisons, I much prefer this hand cream to Neutrogena's that I recently reviewed due to the creamy consistently of this one, the other in comparison is similar to petroleum jelly now! But I do like that hand cream too.

Thank you for reading!

Review: "Honey I Washed The Kids"...

This is a VERY popular hand and body soap by Lush. Named intelligently with a pun, it describes the soap perfectly.

As I'm sure you've gathered by now, Lush is a reputable retailer of gorgeous smelling bathtime products. This soap is of no exception and is most definitely a favourite of mine. It costs £2.95/100g or $7.95/3.5oz which I think is reasonable enough. It resembles honeycomb which is cute!

The soap itself can be of any size you choose, you will need to ask the shop assistants or just pick up a package that they've already wrapped. (Please note this can vary the price due to weight of product). It smells of honey and toffee, pleasant and not too strong to overwhelm the senses. It lathers up well and is like any other soap - apart from all the amazing, natural ingredients and the smell. I guess not like any other soap then!

The vital ingredients making it a lovely soap are:

- honey water
- rapeseed oil
- coconut oil
- beeswax
- sweet wild orange oil
- bergamot oil
- aloe vera extract
- gardenia extract

While bathing with this soap the skin does not dry out, even after your bath/shower. I think the reason behind this is the number of oils adding moisture to your skin and protecting it from dehydration. The smell of the soap is also lovely and remains on you for the majority of the day. Smelling of honey and toffee I do think is attractive... It also fulfils the purpose of a soap - to clean! Very well as I always feel very cleansed and fresh after using it.

Please leave a comment telling me about your favourite Lush product and why, I'd love to know!

Thank you for reading x

Review - Yummy Strawberries: The Body Shop Strawberry Body Butter

This yummy butter has been in my body butter/cream collection since forever. It is truly amazing, on several occasions  I've had people wondering where that gorgeous smell of strawberries is coming from, and it's been me! :)

It costs £12.50 for 200ml at The Body Shop and currently they have an offer of "2 for £15" which means you save £10! If you are a member of their loyalty card club then that's another 10% off which is even better.

The colour of the butter itself is a lovely baby pink and the consistency is quite thick, once on your arm/leg/wherever it melts in smoothly as you rub it in. The smell is yummy - as mentioned before...and you smell like strawberries all day long. Although the concentration levels of the smell do decrease gradually throughout the day...It contains strawberry seed oil, cocoa and shea butter, increasing it's moisturising properties. The Body Shop say that it's for normal skin, but I think it'd be fine for dry skin or any other skin type too!

I'd like to share an experience where I've been the "smell of the ball"! I went out camping with my friends close to the countryside, as you know the hygiene facilities are disgusting and vile, so of course they were avoided at all costs. We were hiking along and someone spotted a much better set of showers and we all had a ball actually cleaning ourselves properly in maybe 2/3days. We then reached back to the campsite and as we were training for an award the examiner decided that we had visited a hotel because he could smell a strong strawberry scent! I then had to explain the reason I smelt the best - the body butter of course, and he was very hesistant to believe my story...although I did eventually get my award! Even though this little anecdote doesn't allow you to fully understand the amazing-ness of this butter, I highly recommend for you to try it out! :)

I don't really know what else to say about this butter, it's just amazing and definitely one of my many favourites. I want to venture out and try different flavours of it but I love this one too much!

Thank you so much for reading this post!

Review: Glittery Bubbly "Sunny Side"

I think I've found the most amazing bubble bar ever...or even bubble bath ever! (For the moment at least) It's called "Sunny Side" and it's from Lush.

It costs £3.30 in the UK and $6.95 in the US, which isn't too bad but there are many more cheaper products available in other retailers. But aside from the price, I do think this bubble bar is amazing! It smells lovely, obviously I won't be able to send the smell virtually (even though I can't wait for that day...) and I don't think it's worth describing it as who knows what I'll come up with! But I'll tell you what's in it so maybe you'll have a rough idea but I do think all noses will love the smell.

OK FINE! Basically it's a citrus smell...I tried to make it sound more incredible but yep, citrus smell. Everyone will still love it though! :)

It is a round, golden soap-like "bar" with lots of edible glitter on it - but don't eat it...

So it has the following ingredients in it, which make it even more gorgeous;

• Sweet Wild Orange Oil
• Lemon Oil
• Tangerine Oil

All of these oils make the bath more moisturising but to be honest I don't think any bath/shower is very moisturising unless you're bathing with an oil/cream in it's natural form.

You place the bar underneath a running tap and crumble it with your hands, it feels very smooth and I enjoyed playing with it because it was so soft! It breaks and forms bubbles, bubbles and more bubbles. After you have the amount of water and bubbles you want, stand back to look at the water and it will have become golden and glittery. I thought this looked truly magical and couldn't wait to jump in!

The bubbles last for a very long time but bathing for as long as the bubbles last will transform you into a mermaid - fully.

It's an amazing, rich, gorgeously scented bubble bar and not just for bathing - I kept it in my wardrobe for fragrancing and even though I've used it now my wardrobe still smells of it.

I definitely recommend this bar, and I can almost guarantee everyone will love it.

Thank you for reading!

Review: Gel or Cream?...Handcream?

This post is going to be about a confusing handcream, changing texture from a gel to a cream and then disappearing into your hands! The Neutrogena Norwegian Formula Handcream.

The feel of the handcream is that of "Vaseline" (an oily gel-like substance) and once rubbed together between hands changes into a cream. This then disappears very soon after another "rubbing" of hands and the effects are felt long after.

It retails for £3.49, and I got mine by using my advantage card points at Boots so was very happy with my "points purchase"! I must say it's very sad to watch the points go though...

Anyway, I think this handcream is a definite for dry hands as the effect lasts for a very long time, and over about a month I've noticed a softer feel on my hands and a lesser need to use it, however I still do try to use it often so the routine keeps going.

Overall I do think you should try it, and if you don't like it pass it on to one of your friends/family to try, it's a cheap product, works well, if you find you dislike it, move it on!

Thank you for reading my quick review :)

Review: Lush "You've Been Mangoed" bath melt

So this is the first ever bath melt I've tried from Lush, and I wasn't too dissapointed. The only problem is that I wasn't amazed either, and I feel the melt should have been named something along the lines of "You've been lemon-ed"!

The bath melt cost £2.80/$5.95 and is available in 30g/1oz sizes, despite the reference to the mango, the melt smells of lemons, limes and oranges. As with all Lush products you are encouraged to use 1 item per bath/shower, however I split the melt into 2 so I could use it twice. The smell is gorgeous even though it's not like that of a mango, however once melted in the bath the bubbles stay for 5minutes then disappear into mysterious murky water created by the melt. I wouldn't say it's very moisturising either...unless you want it as a fragrance in your home I wouldn't spend my money on it.

Pros:

- smells nice

- small and cute product

- good for fragrancing room/wardrobe

- it's suitable for vegans

Cons:

- very small for such a price and only a 1 use product
- doesn't smell of mangoes as expected
- not super moisturising
- bubbles don't hold for very long
- end up with murky water once bubbles have gone

I'm not really sure what rating to give this product as I don't feel the great smell outweighs the negatives...that's why I've outlined the pros and cons so that you can decide for yourself :)

I'm giving it a 6/10 because it's not a terrible product, just not as expected. To try it for yourself you can visit any Lush store near you or order it online,

US: http://www.lushusa.com/shop/products/bath-shower/bath-melts/youve-been-mangoed
UK: http://www.lush.co.uk/products/bath/bath-melts/you've-been-mangoed_102.html
Other Countries: http://www.lush.com/

Thank you for reading :)

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