The Body Shop Haul

The Body Shop deals tempted me for months, but I refrained from placing an order because there wasn't much I really wanted. However, when on the hunt for a new cleansing balm, I stumbled upon their Camomile products, and caved. At the time, though, they only had a 35% off discount code on their website. Although this would be a huge saving anywhere else, I don't settle for less than 40% off when it comes to The Body Shop, especially when I'm buying a fair bit! After a little searching, I found a £25 off £50 spend code, and here's what I picked up:

Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter - £12

I love cleansers, and I love trying out new formulas of cleansers, so am most excited to try this. It's had lots of positive reviews, so I'm hoping I feel the same way! It smells amazing. Very light. Very fresh. It reminds me of a product I've used before, but can't put my finger on it!

Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil - £10

I've never used a cleansing oil before, so am intrigued by this. Again, it has that beautiful scent and has received positive reviews. Some have said it's just a glorified olive oil with a higher price tag, but still say it does its job and smells amazing, so we'll see!

All-in-One Face Base in 02 - £14

This is a repurchase because I've recently hit pan on my current one. It gives you a little coverage and a velvety, matte finish without looking cakey; love!

Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 02 Fair Matte - £13

I wanted to start bronzing more to define and slim my face a little, but the only matte bronzer I had was quite dark and powdery, so decided to give this a try. I was going to get 01, but from swatches, it looked a little redder in tone. 02 has more of a golden tone to it, and looks ever so slightly lighter, too. It feels soft to touch - I'm just hoping the colour's okay!

Ultra Fine Bath Lily in Aqua - £2

I've heard horror stories about creatures living in these, but have never experienced this myself, thankfully! I bought this to qualify for the discount, and because I needed another!

Have you bought anything from The Body Shop recently?

New Favourites #04

Lush Ro's Argan Body Conditioner - £15.95/225g

An in shower body moisturiser that leaves your skin feeling soft and smelling great. I found the rose scent overwhelming at first, but have gotten used to it now. It's expensive, and I don't think I'd have bought it if I didn't have credit to use, but it's impressed me. I think it'll be going on future birthday/Christmas lists! I'm reviewing this in the next couple of days, so look out for a more in depth review!

Lush Ultrabland Facial Cleanser - £6.95/45g

Removes all of my makeup, doesn't sting my eyes (so I can open them when I'm convinced someone's about to murder me in the shower!), and leaves my skin really moisturised. From other reviews, I was expecting to be left with a heavy film, but this isn't the case. Because I have combination oily skin, I go easy on the moisturiser after, sometimes skipping altogether (don't shoot me!). 

Naked Smooth Silky Conditioner for Straight/Longer Hair - £4.19/250ml

I've mentioned Naked conditioners in a few Empties now, but don't think they've featured in a Favourites before. Anyway, I love them. They seem to condition much better than other conditioners I've tried. I think my hair's becoming too used to them, though, so will stop using for a while, and then return.

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butters in Juicy Papaya and Wild Watermelon - £7.99 each - Wild Watermelon swatch and review here

Love! These are my first Lip Butters, and wish I'd bought them sooner. Juicy Papaya is a peachy shade, and looks surprisingly natural. It goes really well with my colouring. Wild Watermelon is a little more out of my comfort zone, but I've been loving this summery, juicy red. I'll be swatching and reviewing Juicy Papaya soon, so look out for that!

Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Dixie - £18 - Swatch and review here

Creamy, pigmented, and blends well. On the cheeks, this translates as a peachy pink, and gives you a warm glow. It's not quite as creamy as my beloved NYX ones, but it's still up there. I paid £6.75 for this in the sale, and can't wait to pick up a couple more in the next!

What products have entered your Favourites recently?

OPI Steady As She Rose and Models Own Utopia Comparison

 OPI Steady As She Rose, Models Own Utopia

 OPI Steady As She Rose, Models Own Utopia

Baby and middle fingernails (1st and 3rd): OPI Steady As She Rose. Ring and index (2nd and 4th): Models Own Utopia

As soon as I laid eyes on OPI's Steady As She Rose, I knew it was similar to Models Own's Utopia; a polish I already owned. I went ahead and bought it anyway, though, because it was only £3.99 from Fragrance Direct, and I've been loving these clean, understated colours. As you can see, both are light, muted lilacs, but Utopia is slightly cooler in tone. It's such a subtle difference, though, that I doubt anyone would notice if just glancing at your nails. In terms of formula, Utopia is slightly more opaque. Steady As She Rose takes 2-3 coats, whereas Utopia takes 2. I love both, and would recommend getting whichever one you can find the cheapest. As I said, Steady As She Rose is only £3.99 on Fragrance Direct at the moment, whereas Utopia is £5 in Boots. However, Boots also has a 3 for 2 offer going on. Utopia can also be found on/in Superdrug for £5, and it's on Chemist Direct for £4.50. It just depends on where you were already planning to shop to save on postage!

Do you own either of these shades? You can find my swatch of Steady As She Rose here, and my swatch of Utopia here.

OPI Steady As She Rose

OPI's Steady As She Rose is my most recent purchase from Fragrance Direct. At £3.99, I couldn't resist! Steady As She Rose is a very light, dusky lilac. I'm still getting used to wearing shades like these, but I like how clean they look. Two coats were needed on most nails to achieve opacity, but a couple needed three due to streaking. This could be an application error on my behalf, though. It's very similar to Models Own Utopia (swatch and review here), and I have comparison photos on my Instagram here. I'll probably be publishing a full comparison post in the next week, though, so look out for that!

Do you have this shade? Or shades similar to this?

Empties #05

Two Empties posts in a month! What is going on?! I must have been nearing the end of all my products at the same time. You probably won't see another for months after this.

The Body Shop Body Mists in Cranberry Joy and Mango 

I love fruity scents, so it was no surprise I loved these. I've already repurchased both! They're £7.50 full price, but there's always a great offer going on. I actually got the Cranberry Joy one in the sale, and there was a code on top of that, so ended up paying just £2.10.

The Body Shop Hand Cleanse Gel in Mango

I have every scent of these, and unsurprisingly, I finished the mango one first! Will definitely be repurchasing. They're £2.50 full price.

NSPA Lime Hair and Body Wash (review here)

Finally, a lime shower gel that's just as zesty, if not more so, than my beloved Original Source one. At £2 for 500ml from Asda, I'll definitely be repurchasing.

Witch Anti Blemish Skin Clearing Primer

I finally finished this! It seemed to last an age. I liked it. Makeup went on smoother, and it prevented the concealer from creasing around my eyes. I will repurchase, but would like to try something new first. It's normally £6.99 in Superdrug, but currently on offer for £4.66, if you're interested.

Naked Rescue Intensive Care Conditioner 

At £4.19/250ml, Naked conditioners are more expensive than I'm used to paying, but I love them. They condition much better than other conditioners I've tried.

Superdrug Colour Effects Wash In Wash Out Conditioning Colour in Warm Chocolate Brown (review here) 

Do I really need to say anything here? At least one of these little bottles is featured in every Empties post! Warm Chocolate Brown wasn't as intense as the others, but still made my hair a little more rich and vibrant.

Biore Ultra Deep Cleaning Pore Strips

I had these for ages, as you can see by the old packaging! I wasn't impressed. They lifted a few blackheads, but that's it. I was expecting more. I've also heard they can rip your skin, but I never experienced this.

Have you tried any of these products?

Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon

Let me introduce you to my first ever Lip Butter, and favourite product at the moment; Revlon's ColourBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon. This admiration is unexpected. I've previously said how I prefer matte, staining lip products. I've also steered away from reds because I've never thought I'm beautiful enough to wear them. So, why I love this glossy red balm, I'm not entirely sure. Wild Watermelon looks like an orangey red in the tube, but goes on more pinky red. I think it's the perfect shade to ease you into the colour family. In terms of wear, it lasts a couple hours on me, and fades evenly. Since I've bought this, I've also bought Juicy Papaya. I think I wasn't interested in the Lip Butter range before because none of the shades appealed to me. These, however, are a different story. On a side note, Wild Watermelon notably shifts colour with different lighting and computer screens, so keep this in mind!

What's your favourite Revlon Lip Butter?

Recent Purchases

I wasn't planning on posting about these items, but was in the mood to blog, so here we are!

Primark bag - £12

I've never owned a formal bag, but with uni about to end and interviews about to begin (hopefully), I thought it was about time I did. I'd heard people talk about this being similar to the Zara Office City Bag, which I quite liked the look of, so decided to buy it. However, once in store, I wasn't sure, so left it. Then I found one I liked in H&M, but it looked very similar, and was £24.99 instead of Primark's £12, so thought I may as well get the cheaper of the two. It's smart, practical, and I like the texture of it. I've already taken the Atmosphere 'leather' tag off, though, because it just cheapened it.

Primark shopper bag - £1.50

Cotton shoppers are so handy to have around, and you can't complain for the price!

Primark white face cloths - £1.50, and duck egg 'luxury' face cloths - £2.50

I've started using Lush's Ultrabland cleanser, so was in need of some face cloths... there's nothing else to say here!

Superdrug Face & Bikini Wax Strips - £4.29 or 2 for £5

The only wax strips I've ever used were some ones I won in a giveaway a few years ago. I finally finished those recently, though, and was in need of some more. Lack of variety and mixed reviews left me undecided, but then I came across these. I'm hoping they perform well, but if they don't, I haven't lost a great deal of money.

Real Techniques Blush and Expert Face Brushes - £5.87 and £5.29 from Asda Direct

I use the Powder and Stippling ones every day, and wanted to try these two next. I couldn't resist when I saw the prices; so much cheaper than Boots. 

Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya - £7.99 from Boots

After falling in love with Revlon's Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, I wanted to get my hands on this beautiful peach shade. There's currently a huge 3 for 2 going on in Boots, but I'm ever so indecisive, so just left with this. Will be kicking myself later, no doubt.

Do you have any of these products?