#131 - April Project 10 Pan

I know I haven't been doing any outfit posts recently, but I promise you I do still have a face!
I have just been so busy with my new(ish) job and then catching up on my beloved sleep.
I have been working as a Cocktail Waitress at an awesome Hawaiian/Tiki bar in town called Aloha. It is the definition of Tiki, and I bloody love it! It's really, really hard work but so worth it :)

S&G's The Daily Smooth - I have had this for just under a year now and have about half left. I found myself reaching for it this past week so figured I might as well finish it off! It has a lovely smell and it works really well at moisturising particularly dry skin.

S&G's hair Supply (travel size) - Let me just say I am not a fan of this product. I don't feel it nourishes my hair as much as other hair conditioners, even when I've left it on for 10 mins. It makes my hair feel greasy after washing, so I hid it for as long as I could. But with my drawers looking pretty full again I might as well just use it on days I'm not doing much and don't need my hair to look its best. So perfect for coursework days when I'm stuck at my desk going mad!

Original Source Tea Tree & Mint shampoo - I used to use this everytime I washed my hair for about three years, until I tried the Loreal Elvive Triple Resist range and have been using that every single time. But this bad boy smells amazing, so fresh and revitalising. It makes my hair feel and look so clean and I feel when I use it I have to wash my hair less often. Always a winner in my eyes!

Collection 2000 Cream Puff Lip Cream in Fairy Cake? - I'm unsure of the colour name as the label peeled off when I was removing those stupid security stickers Superdrug put on everything; I bloody hate those things, bane of my life!
But even though I love this colour and how it looks on me, I don't wear this often enough, so I'm determined to use it more this month, even though we're destined to have typical April weather.

Lush Tea Tree Water - I was recommended this by someone with similar skin to my own (combination/oily) and was an eager beaver to give it a try, but it didn't wow me. It did refine my pores and help get rid of spots quicker, so I feel if I use it up then I can make a more accurate decision on whether I like it or not.

Tresemme Naturals shampoo - Bought this last year for my holiday and only used half of it, shoved it in a drawer and left it alone. It did really well in cleaning and strengthening my hair (which is what it claims to do!) so i enjoyed using it, but I do like trying out different products.

TBS lip balm in wild cherry - This smells amazing, I love cherry scented things, which is probably what drew me into buying this pot of pointless but lovely smelling stuff. It does not do much for my lips the same way Carmex does, but it does moisturise them well enough. I have half left so I may as well use it, if only for the smell, nom!

Various Montagne Jeunesse face masks - I have about eight or nine of these hidden about in my room, as I tend to spot new ones in my local Home Bargains, buy a handful and then use one and forget about the rest. They are really good, especially for the price (they're no more than £1.50 in Home Bargain) and leave my skin lovely and smooth, so I'll be cracking out a cheeky pamper night more often during April!

What products are you trying to use up in April?
Any blog posts please leave me a link as I love reading posts like this :)

#130 - March Empties

Quite a fair amount of empty products from March, a few that I mentioned in my latest Project 10 Pan post, but some others I found lurking in my drawer that I wanted to use up before buying an alternative.

Sudocrem - Cannot fault this product, it's brilliant for spots, rashes, marks previous spots have left, just any general irritations your skin may have. I love they brought out this handy tube sometime last year, soo much easier than the tubs as I can have it in my bag when I'm travelling.

Lush's Mask of Magnaminty - I bought this about three months ago on the recommendation of the lovely shop assistant as I was after a mask that would help reduce the oil on my face, clear my skin up in general and sort out the dreaded pores on my nose. I love this mask, I'm going to repurchase it when I'm next out. I use it two times a week, maybe more if my skin needs it, and it deeply cleanses my skin leaving it feeling refreshed and squeaky clean, but not tight. The ground Aduki beans and Evening Primrose seeds allow for a gentle but effective exfoliation, reducing the amount of time you need to spend washing your face!
If you have oily/combination skin please try it, you won't be disappointed! And it lasts for ages as it doesn't need to be kept in the fridge.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter lip balm - A basic I picked up in one of Boot's 3 for 2 offers a while ago, but it's actually switched me from my beloved Carmex, to this sneaky sod. It's really moisturising, smells amazing and it heals and stops my lips from being chapped and horrible.

S&G's The Righteous Butter - I've already raved about this item before so I won't go on, but it's a brilliant moisturiser, really good for dry skin such as elbows, knees and heels.

Tresemme Split Remedy Hair Intense Recovery Masque - I bought this on a whim about four months ago when I was looking for a new deep treatment and spotted this was buy one get one free. Now I'm under no illusions and do not think this will repair my split ends; the only thing for that is a good chop! But this makes my hair so soft, so manageable, easier to style, and it makes my split ends less noticable which is a big plus. I tend to wash my hair and cover it in this, stick my hair turban on and leave it in for about an hour, so my hair can really soak it up. Another alternative is I coat my hair in this the night before I wash it and leave it in over night. You wash it the next day and have amazing feeling/looking hair. It's not too expensive either, worth a try!

Loreal Super Liner Carbon Gloss - I think every blogger and their cat uses this liner! But it is my favourite one yet, super black without having to layer it up, quick drying and the nib is the easiest one I've used so far. my only gripe is that it's not very water-proof, so if your eyes water in the wind or you have hayfever, this won't necessarily last long. But I think having a primer underneath helps its longevity.
I'm going to try out the S&G liquid liner next, as I love their kohl liner already!

Aussie 3MM Frizz Remedy - An old faithful, the Aussie 3MM's are something I always have in my drawer but don't always reach for, but when I do I always wonder why I leave them alone so much. It is fantastic and makes my hair really soft and lovely, makes me want to swish my hair around like one of those ridiculous TV ads!

S&G Scrub Em & Leave Em - I hate to end the post on a negative, but I do not like this scrub. I got it as part of a set at Christmas, and was looking forward to trying it out as I've been in love with S&G's Flake Away for over two years now. But this did not exfoliate my skin that well, it was hard to rinse off and it left my skin feeling sticky, like there was a thin film covering it. I'm disappointed as this is the only S&G product I've tried and disliked. But I'm happy I finished it off as I wasn't prepared to just chuck it out, I'm pretty stubborn like that.

What products have you used up this Month? Any gems I should try out for April? :)

#129 - NOTD

Although like everybody else, I have been favouring pastel shades on my nails as of late, I'm in love with peppermint green and egg shell blues right now! But as I was choosing a colour last night, this one caught my eye. I bought it about two months ago from Superdrug in one of their usual 3-for-2 offers, but have only worn it once.
I'm quite ashamed of myself as it's such a beautiful colour!

It's called Electric Purple by Accessorize, and I cannot fault it in any way. It has a creamy consistency and only needs two shades for it to be opaque, it lasts for a good while before any tip wear or chipping occurs, and it was only £4 for a 10ml bottle! I don't think that's bad going at all.

I've tried to capture the gorgeous purple, it has a blue undertone that is quite hard to show via photos, you'll have to buy it and see for yourselves ;)

(please excuse the messy application, I couldn't be bothered cleaning it up as I usually just let it come off as I wash my hands, etc. Does anyone else do that?)



What shades are you wearing on your nails right now? Any brands I should try? :)

#128

After seeing the lovely Zoe post about this miracle cream last month, I have since kept my eye open hoping to grab a pot to try out for myself.

It is a cream version of Re-Gen Oil, a more affordable version of Bio Oil, but it does just as good a job so there is no need to fork out for the real thing.
As much as I love the oil and how it has helped the stretch marks I have on my thighs and any scarring on my face and arms, I'm so impatient, so waiting for it to sink in really bugs me. My own fault!

I was in my local Home Bargain earlier today, looking for nail varnish remover and their trusty foldable boxes, when I spotted a sinble box of this in their skincare aisle. I pounced on it before anyone else had the chance!
I am yet to try it, but it has a very thick texture, and smells pleasant enough, nothing too strong. The smell actually reminds me of Sudocrem for some reason?

I have oily-combination skin, which seems to have calmed down a lot over the last few months, which was surprising as Winter usually send my skin into a manic state. But I also have slight redness on my cheeks which has always irritated me, but I just cover it with makeup. I am hoping that this will help calm the redness on my face and help with my skin tone which is appalling.

But I will be trying this out before bed later and will continue to use it as part of both my morning and night-time skin routines; hopefully it will live up to the high standards it has been set and the great reviews I've read online.
This 125ml tub was only £3.99 from Home Bargain, but I'm not sure if Home Bargain is only based in the NW of England? You can buy it online here, and at £3.99 you can't complain.

Do you use this or anything similar? Do you have a miracle skin cream to recommend?

Also, just a little edit to say you can now follow me on HelloCotton for those who don't have GFC :)
My link is riiiight here!

#127 - Nails of the day

I decided I need some form of consistency with this blasted thing, something to remind me to keep it as fresh and updated as possible, and since I change my nail colour more than I really should, why not share it with you lovely people ^_^

Today's nail of the day is more nail of the week, and yes, it is another Rimmel varnish! I can't get enough of their creamy consistency, hard wearing colour and at just £4, (often on the 3 for 2 offer) who can resist chucking one or two in their basket?!
I took my own advice from last week's post and used a light base coat so I would need fewer coats of this. I chose to use OPI's Stranger Tides, a pale creamy colour with a hint of green, perfect base colour! This then went on like a dream, only needing two thin coats, and a topcoat of course.
This shade is Peppermint, I will be experimenting to see if this shade and last week's shade (Aqua Cool) will go well together as a leopard print or something original like that... stay tuned for that cracker!

#126 - mini haul

I went shopping on Monday as I needed some cheap black shoes for my new work, as I wore some that I'm quite fond of on Friday night and they got covered in Mai Tais, Zombies, Pina Coladas, and a number of other items! I allowed myself to buy some clothes too as I haven't bought anything since early December, and I was due some pretty clothes for Spring.
I also got some photo frames from Primark for £1 and got Glamour on my way to the train as it comes with a Percy & Reed hair product I fancied trying out.

Candles, cut-out candle holder: all Primark

I went straight to the home department as I was on the hunt for a jar to store my make up brushes in, and found this pretty hot pink number. I decided to use this for tea lights (see above right) instead and am using my glass candle holder for brushes and whatnot.
If you like delicious smelling candles but don't want to fork out your hard-earned pennies, I suggest you look out for these Vanilla Frosting candles - only £1!
And it smells amazing even before you light it, like hot popcorn. I doubt that was the smell they were going for, but it's still yummy!

Jarmie pants and shorts: Primark - Chinos: H&M

I certainly don't need any more jarmie pants, but at £1 each in the sale I couldn't say no, so snapped up these bad boys. They're so comfy, but I'll be sticking to the pants for now as it's still pretty nippy in England!
Chinos are something I've been after for maybe a year now, but could never find either the right colour, shape, length or size I wanted, so I gave up. Thankfully I found these by chance as soon as I stepped into H&M. Perfect fit, perfect length, and I love the colour. I'm proud of myself as I usually choose black pants, maybe I'm evolving/maturing...

Grey top, striped dress: H&M

The grey top isn't something I necessarily needed - I have about five grey tops already. It was the fit that drew me in, it's so comfy and slouchy, I won't have a problem pairing it with something. The dress was again an impulse buy, but I did realise once I got home that I don't have a striped dress ( I do but I don't wear it often, it's more suited to nights out) to wear on a day-to-day basis. It looks like nothing on the hanger, but it fits like a glove, looks really nice on. I just have to buy some nude underwear now as I was wearing black when I tried it on; looked awfully trampy haha

Tops: All Primark

The New York top is from the men's department; I prefer going there for t shirts as they're comfier, and usually half the price! This was only £3 so I suggest you snap it up quicksmart, or just rob it from your boyfriend!
I love the horse print on the middle top, the only thing I'm unsure of is the peplum bottom of it; I will probably just wear it tucked into a high-waisted skirt anyway so I'm not too fussed.
Again the striped top is something I'll wear tucked into jeans or a skirt, but I loved the colours on it and I was well overdue some brighter items in my seemingly monotone wardrobe.

Watch: Next - Necklaces, Rings: H&M

I've been without a watch for maybe two months now, since my last one pretty much fell off my wrist due to me wearing the strap out! My auntie gave me a giftcard at Christmas and I've only just gotten round to buying another watch, nothing fancy just a plain gold with a leather strap.
I don't have any long gold necklaces, these were only £3.99 so snapped them up, along with the sets of rings and a gold ring as I only have one at the moment, and I tend to wear about four rings at once.

Have you picked up any bargains in Primark lately?

#125 - March Project 10 Pan

March Project 10 Pan

Can you believe it's March already! Where is this year going?!

I probably don't have anywhere near as many unused/half full products as other bloggers, but I thought I would do a quick post on my latest Project 10 Pan.
I did post about a past one sometime last year, and obviously failed to keep up with posting my new ones each month on here, so I'm going to try again!
But here's a brief look at what's in my box this month that I'm hoping to use up :)
(Also I'm aware there's only 9 products in the photos, but I forgot to stick my Sleek palette in)

-Garnier Summer Body Gradual Tanner is something I wish I was more enthusiastic to use all the time, as I love having a healthy tan, but it smells really odd after it sinks in. Granted it doesn't smell as bad as fake tan, it smells of apricots, but once it settles on my skin, it smells warm if that makes sense? I only have half a bottle left so it should be first to go.
-St Ives Firming Moisturiser works brulliantly but I have two bottles to use up, so this needs to go, I've started slathering it on morning and night as you can use it as often as you like.
-Dove Go Fresh Body Wash has a gorgeous, fresh smell, perfect for Spring. But again, this has been sat in the bathroom unloved while I bummed my S&G shower gels for a good few months.
-S&G The Righteous Butter - I have a full tub of this from Christmas, raring to go, but I don't want to leave this travel sized tub in the drawer. So this will be coming with me when I stay in Jack's so I use it before I go to bed.
-S&G Scrub Em & Leave Em Body Scrub isn't my favourite, it feels like it leaves a film on my skin after I use it, I much prefer S&G Flake Away, I think it's amazing.
-Crest White Strips, pretty self-explanatory, I think my teeth could do with a little whitening. Simple.
-Tresemme Split End Remedy Mask and Aussie 3MM are my HG hair masks, as they really condition and improve the look of my hair. Both are half empty but I'll repurchase once empty.
Little odd one at the end is the Paris Hilton perfume. Bought it on a whim from Home Bargain, ended up loving it, getting bored of it and shoving it in a drawer for 6 months. Refound it when clearing my room out and might as well finish it before repurchasing. Really nice light but girly fragrance for Spring.

Fingers crossed this box will be empty come April and I'll have more products to blog about :)

Have you started a Project 10 Pan? If so link with your blog post below, I like being nosy and seeing what other are trying to use up :)