Empties #04

Half of the products you see are featured in nearly every empties post, but I have some products that are new to the feature this time!

Imperial Leather Foamburst Luxurious Body Washes in Sweet Vanilla & Cherry Blossom and Bewitching Blackberry & Wild Fig (review here) - I love these. The packaging is beautiful, they're foamy, and they smell amazing. At £3, or £2 when on offer, they're more expensive than my usual shower gels, but I'd still happily repurchase them. Sweet Vanilla & Cherry Blossom isn't a scent I usually gravitate towards (I go for fruity ones), but this is beautiful and delicate. Bewitching Blackberry & Wild Fig is more up my street, and I'm tempted to stock up straight away, even though I have so many other bottles to use.

Naked Brunette Radiance Shampoo* and Conditioner* (review here) - Like I said in my review, the shampoo was okay, but it didn't do anything more than my cheaper ones do. The conditioner, however, was great, and was more like an intensive treatment. I've already purchased two more tubes of Naked's conditioners because my Alberto Balsams do nothing in comparison!

Alberto Balsam Shampoos in Strawberries & Cream and Coconut & Lychee - My go to shampoo brand. They're cheap and they do the job! My all time favourite scent is the Strawberries and Cream one.

Superdrug Colour Effects Wash In, Wash Out Conditioning Colour in Mahogany (review here) - Are you sick of me mentioning these yet? Since I used this one up a month or so ago, I haven't been using them, but will start to again next week. I remember going back to uni after using this a few times and a friend thought I'd dyed my hair red. It wasn't until then that I noticed how much of a difference it makes! As well as this, my sister's friend thought I was actually brunette and had just dyed my hair an auburn shade. I like dyed auburn hair just as much as natural auburn hair, so no complaints from me.

Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover - Another product I've mentioned time and time again. Removes your nail polish and smells better than others. 

Soap & Glory Peaches and Clean Deep Cleansing Milk (review here) - This has since been repackaged, just to let you know. I liked it, but after using for 8 months, I became bored of it! It did its job, though, and that's all that matters. I'll repurchase, but not for a while. I fancy trying something new.

Simple Baby Moisturising Wipes - I use these for a little bit of everything. Taking makeup off if I'm not cleansing in the shower, wiping off swatches, and cleaning off any products that are looking a little grimy. They're £1.99 for 80, but they're often on offer for 99p. Even better, Lloyd's Pharmacy sometimes have them included in their '6 for £5' offer, and then my sister gets 20% staff discount, so I get 6 packs of 80 for just £4!

Nivea Express Hydration Primer (review here) - I believe this took me 14 months to finish. 14 long months. In the beginning, I loved it, but towards the end, I wasn't sure if it was actually doing anything. My concealer would also sometimes go bitty and roll off my skin, if you know what I mean. I thought this was because I was using too much of this primer and that I didn't let it sink in well enough, but then I went back to using my Witch one and didn't have this problem, so who knows? It's great value for money, though, and I think I just became too used to it to notice its benefits.

Have you tried any of these products?

Wavy Hair

THX Total Hair Experts Define Style Deep Barrel Waver* - £35 at Tesco

I'd been wanting to try a waver for quite some time, so was pleased when this one landed on my doorstep. My sister recently bought the Babyliss Boutique Deep Waves Hair Styler, which gives beautiful results, and I was intrigued to see how this compared. There's not much difference at all. Both heat up incredibly fast, and both give the same results. These results last throughout the day, gradually falling as time goes on. In the photo above, I've just grabbed random chunks of hair, and this took me about 10-15 minutes to do. If you want a neater style, you can simply section your hair off. Also, in the photo above, the waves have dropped a little, but you can make them more defined, if you wish, and then set them with hairspray.

Quick, easy, and I love the results. I wish I'd tried this type of hair styler sooner! Are you a fan of wavers?

Primark Purchases

I posted a haul yesterday, which mostly included items from Primark, but I went shopping again today, so thought I'd show you these bits, too! I went in to buy some workout clothes, but that was a fail. I also need a sports bra, but don't want to pay too much (edit: I bought one today from Sports Direct, so all's good!)

The daisy jumper was £14, and is the first women's jumper I've bought in a while! It's a little smaller than I'd like, but I think that's because I'm used to men's sizes.

The burgundy joggers were £7. I needed something other than jeans and pyjama bottoms to wear! These will also be good for when I exercise.

The mint green t-shirt bra was £2.50. I own nearly every colour/pattern of their t-shirt bra design now. They're cheap and comfortable!

The grey trainers were just £3, and I bought these for when I exercise, too. I'm going to try out running this week, and if I decide it's for me, I'll then buy proper running shoes.

The duck egg extra large throw was £10. I haven't liked the throws in Primark for a while, and I love this colour, so thought I'd treat myself!

The mint green and gold necklace was £3. It's the first piece of jewellery I've bought from Primark in years!

Have you bought anything from Primark recently?

Haul - Primark, Revlon Matte Balms, and More

Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm in Audacious, Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, and Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm in Elusive.

Birthday money in hand, I decided to do a spot of shopping this week, and then thought I'd combine the other odd bits I've bought this month to create a haul!

The majority of the stuff above is from Primark, so we'll start there! I bought yet another men's jumper for £12. I love them. They're comfy, warm, and easy to wear. I then picked up some coat hangers to store my expanding collection of jumpers, which were £4. I've always been a little reluctant to spend money on coat hangers, especially because I store most of my clothes in chests of drawers, but the colours of these persuaded me! The giraffe pyjama top was £4 and is incredibly cute. They also had matching giraffe print bottoms, if you're interested. I then picked up another one of their reed diffusers in Red Berries and Orchid for £3. It's along the same lines as their Juicy Blueberry and Blossom one, which I love. The socks at the top were £3.50, and are knee high and extra thick. They're more expensive than the ones I normally buy from Primark, and are just as expensive as Topshop and Accessorize ones, but, I suppose, they are extra long and thick. The last things from Primark are the tweezers. Both the floral owl and black polka dot ones were £1 for 2. They're not the sharpest I've had, but they do the job!

I bought a fair bit of bedding from Tesco Direct a couple weeks ago, and while most of it was fitted sheets and pillow cases, I did buy the pretty, floral, fleece throw you see at the top. It was £10, and I bought it to spruce up my plain bedding sets. I also bought the bedding you see everything on, which was £15 (now £12). I wasn't sure about it at first, but it's warming on me!

A couple weeks ago, my friend and I had some time to kill, so decided to venture into Next's home section. We came across the Apricot Blossom scent, and just had to buy something from the range. I'm not allowed to burn candles under my dad's roof, so opted for the reed diffuser, which was £5. If you're interested in the candle, it was £3.50. I'm tempted to get it just to smell it whenever I can! I love apricot/peach scents.

Birthday money, not buying makeup for ages, my love of lip crayons, and a 3 for 2 offer all contributed to these next buys. I walked into Boots and headed straight to the Revlon stand, knowing they'd have the new Matte and Lacquer Balms. I wasn't expecting there to be a 3 for 2 offer on, so that just pushed me to get swatching even more. I decided on the Elusive and Audacious Matte Balms, intending to sheer Audacious out to make it more subtle. I also wanted Unapologetic, a really bright, warm pink, and also intended to sheer it out, but it was out of stock. At 9am on the day of release. No extras in the draws underneath. The Lacquer Balms were okay, but most had shimmer in, so decided to swatch the lip butters. I've never owned one before because the colours didn't float my boat, but then I came across Wild Watermelon, and a spark ignited within. Okay, a little dramatic, but you get my drift. In the tube, it looks like an orangey red, but when swatched and sheered out, it turns in a light, pinky red. I also want Juicy Papaya now! All three retail for £7.99, but the 3 for 2 offer meant I received one for free.

I'm also going in town tomorrow to get some workout clothes because I've started exercising (only a little, mind!), but will no doubt end up in Boots again. Back at the Revlon stand. Have, or will, you be buying any of Revlon's new releases? Lip crayons got me into wearing lip products, so they'll always have a special place in my heart!

21st Birthday Presents

My 21st birthday was this Monday, the 20th January. I didn't do anything, just like I haven't for the last four years, but did have Chinese and Indian takeaways with my family. It was our first time having Indian, and it won't be the last! Already craving more onion bhajis and chicken shashlik.

My sister really treated me, and most of the stuff in the photo is from her. I'd wanted the Fred Perry Aubrey trainers for a while, and was going to buy them full price a few months ago. I don't like the brand, but really liked the shape of the shoe (I feel like a clown in normal trainers). The best part about them is that my sister only paid £20.25 instead of £45! She also bought me the Pacifica fragrance set, the heart shaped bowls, the owl mug, The Great British Book of Baking, Wotsits, Quavers, and gingerbread men. You may have seen the owl mug in my Currently Loving post, but that was for a friend's birthday, so my sister bought me my own. I love the heart shaped bowls, and am going to use the smaller ones for jewellery. I also love Wotsits and Quavers, so that's why she bought them for me!

My parents bought me the Hotel Chocolat slabs and gave me money. The giant slab is a Christmas one, so was in the sale for £4.80 instead of £16. There was then a problem with the parcel, so Hotel Chocolat sent a replacement and gave my dad a refund, meaning it was completely free! The eton mess one was full price, but sounds delicious.

In the heart shaped bowl, you can see a silver trinket. Inside is a necklace that my nanny Mary gave me. It was my great nan's, and she received it for her own 21st birthday. It's definitely something I'm going to treasure!

My other grandparents gave me the large heart photo frame, the 21st mug and bear, and more money than I ever expected to receive. I was so surprised and thankful.

My auntie, who's only a few years older than myself, bought me the No7 gift set, an Accessorize scarf, a handful of face masks, some jewellery, and some body sprays.

I still have some gifts to receive from a friend, but I'm so thankful for everything I've received so far. Here's to being 21!

My First Cross Stitch

I wanted to start cross stitching last year, but never got round to it. Then, my sister started earlier this month, so I decided to start, too! I found this fox pattern on Etsy for a couple of pounds, and since I couldn't find any free ones I liked, decided to buy it. It took me about 4 or 5 days to complete, and I decided to keep and frame it in the hoop because I liked the look of it. It's not perfect (and the camera flash is making some fabric show through the thread), but it's now proudly hanging in my room. I've already started another little project, and that should be done in a week or so. It's an Indian themed elephant pattern that I found amongst many images on Google. There's no actual cross stitch pattern, but you can recreate it just from looking at the image! After this, I'd like to attempt this Paris design (also found on Etsy):

Have you started a new hobby recently? Do you cross stitch?

The Makeup Brushes I Use

I have somehow ended up with three pots of makeup brushes, even though I wouldn't consider myself an obsessive. I have ones from ELF, EcoTools, Real Techniques, MUA, Models Own, and even eBay, but the ones above are the ones I use in my daily routine.

Real Techniques Powder Brush (£12.99 at Boots, £10.99 at Superdrug) - I've given the Boots and Superdrug prices because they're the most accessible, but you can get it cheaper online from various places. I paid around £8 for mine from Amazon, and I've seen the brand stocked on discounted cosmetics sites, too. Before this, I was used to paying ELF's price of £3.50-£3.75 for a powder brush, so this was a splurge. I've been using this nearly every day for 9 months now, and definitely think it's worth it. It's a lot bigger than any other powder brush I've used, and has maintained its fluffy and soft qualities for all this time.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush (£11.99 at Boots, £10.99 at Superdrug) - I bought this the same time as the other, and paid around the same price. I use my NYX Cream Blush in Natural on a daily basis, and use this to apply it. I have about 4 stippling brushes now, but always pick this one because the hairs are shorter and slightly more dense, allowing me to blend the product in better. It does mean it picks up more product if you're not careful, though, but I'm used to that. 

MUA Eyebrow Brush (£1.50) - I used to use ELF's Studio Small Angled Brushes to fill in my eyebrows, but haven't touched them since buying this. It's thinner, meaning it doesn't get clogged with product, and allows you to be more precise. It's a bargain, too!

ELF Studio Small Precision Brush (£3.75) - I don't wear eyeshadow on my lids, but like applying a little to my lower lash line to give some definition, and I opt for this brush to apply it. It's the perfect size.

ELF Eyelash and Brow Wand (£1.50) - After I've filled in my brows, I give them a brush through with this. I've had this one for years, and it's still going strong. It's cheap and it does the job!

I also love my eBay brushes, which look similar to the Real Techniques ones. You can find my post about them here. I've just had a look at the seller's listings, and they've put the prices of all the colours back down below £2. They range from £1.63-£1.99, and come in blue, purple, pink, red, and yellow/gold. The seller also has the EcoTools brushes and sets I've blogged about before for just a couple of pounds.

What are your favourite makeup brushes?