Shopping my Haul...

I have just taken part in a beauty blogger swap and all of the details will appear in a new post in due course.  

One of the best things about taking part in the swap is shopping for bits and pieces that your swappee will hopefully really like.  When I went to buy the bits for my box there was quite a lot of bargains to be had I found and well erm yes I did do a little bit of a mini haul and this is what I bought.

You might have guessed by now that I am a bit if a lip balm addict and can never have too many of them.  So when I saw this eos lip balm on offer in a 99p store for you guessed it 99p there was no way I was going to leave it behind and as I am yet to try these out for myself, I am looking forward to opening it.  

I also picked up this Papaya Gold Paw Paw Balm in Boots which was on offer and I got with a voucher I had lurking in my purse (winning) so instead of being £5.99 I got it for just £1.99. Described as Being a Moisturising Balm enriched with Bio Active Manuka Honey 20+, is a topical balm that soothes, relieves and moisturises dry, sensitive, chaffed and irritated skin and dry chapped lips. Can be used by people who are prone to eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis. Also suitable for children.

Also in the 99p I came across this Ohyo collapsable water bottle which I have reviewed before on this blog HERE and they are just so handy to have in your handbag, especially if like me you drink a lot of water but don't want to have to keep big bottles in your bag.

The next item I managed to get my hands on was this W7 In The Buff palette which has made its way into many blog posts that I have read and in the local shopping centre that I went too there is a W7 stall and they had a sale on, this palette cost me just £2.99 when it usually retails for around £6, so I think I have got myself a bit of a bargain here.

 Next on my list was this set of four reed diffusers from Marks and Spencer and again I had a voucher that needed to be used up, so I ordered them online and went to collect in store, they retail for £25 and cost me nothing essentially.  I love have reed diffusers around the house and these scents appealed to me more than anything else and I can't wait to open them and give them a try.

The final item from my haul comes from TK Maxx, it is always dangerous going in there because I never seem to leave empty handed, admittedly I did not go in there for the item below which is a hard case keyboard for my iPad, but when I saw it had been reduced from £79.99 to just £9.99 I was not going to leave it behind and having opened it and used it already, I am not quite sure how I have managed without it before now.

So there you have my little mini haul which cost all of £17 instead of £126.96 and therefore I think I have got myself quite a few bargains!  What do you think?

Have you shared a haul recently? Link me below in a comment so I can come along and read.

Glossybox April - Sweet Treats!

So my Glossybox has arrived for April and again, this month is a themed box and it is called Sweet Treats and Glossybox have said in their magazine that with the official start of summer nearly on our doorstep, we have a box edit this month of beauty heroes that we hope will become your handbag essentials for the warmer months ahead.  So this is my box.

My first thoughts are hmmm I have seen some of these items in other boxes and I am intrigued as to what some of them are, so we have:

He-Shi Professional Tanning Face and Body Gel - A High performance self-tan that includes vitamin B5 and aloe vera for a gorgeous glow that nourishes the skin.  My only issue with this is that I have medium and as someone with pale skin, would I end up looking like an extra from TOWIE if I used it? Probably, so it is going to go to a good home.  This is a travel sized edition at 50ml and has an RRP of £7.95

MeMeMe Beat The Blues Pearl Pink - An essential for your make-up bag, this product is designed to highlight all your best features.  I needed a new highlighter as Moon Beam by Benefit has just run out and I really liked that, so now I have something new to try.  This is a 12ml sample with an RRP of £5.50

TRESemme Instant Refresh Cleansing Dry Shampoo - Well I have said before that I am not a fan of this range, but am prepared to give the dry shampoo the benefit of doubt. This is a 100ml can which is great for your handbag, though a full size is only 200ml would cost £4.99 making this worth around £2.50

Monu Spa Warming Ginger Massage and Body Oil - I am a big fan of the Monu range and have to date tried some fabulous products from them.  This little number is said to leave your skin luxuriously smooth and supple.  Thankfully the ginger scent isnt too overpowering because it is a scent I really dislike.  This is a 30ml sample and is worth around £7.50

The final item in my box is the Emite Make-up Li Brush L312 - This is a slanted lipbrush which is perfect for precise and professional looking make-up application.  The brush is made of synthetic Taklon hair which, as well as being allergy free, is easy to clean after use.  This has an RRP of £17.

So there you have, that is my box which is worth around £40, what do you think? I am actually sat on the fence with this one, I don't love it but I don't dislike it either.  

Next month's Glossybox is a collaboration, but with whom we do not yet know...

Vichy Idealia Smoothing and Illuminating Cream!

Vichy is not a company whose products I had used many of, infact until I got my hands on this Idealia Smoothing and Illuminating Cream it is fair to say they were not a brand on my radar, since then I've been been to a Blogger Event which introduced me to Dermablend, but that's a whole new post.

The Idealia cream came into my life via the BBBBox which I was lucky enough to get my hands on and then I have had quite a few samples from a Glossybox which you can see HERE.  What I love about this particular product is the cuteness of the tub, it is so small and dinky, yet perfect for travelling and having in your bag should you want too.

What Vichy say: "Vichy Idealia Smoothing & Illuminating Cream visibly smoothes the appearance of wrinkles, and leaves skin's texture refined, and softer. It re-awakens the skin's natural radiance for a fresh, and even complexion".

First things first, this cream smells amazing, infact it is more like a soufflé than a cream because it is just so soft to the touch not mention that it is pink, is there anything else you want from a cream? As soon as you apply it to your skin it most definitely does leave your skin feeling so much smoother and it does instantly brighten the skin, giving that a fresh faced glow look. It also illuminates the skin and I tend to apply it underneath my foundation because it not only makes for a much easier and smoother application, but you can also the glow comes through giving an instant sheen in the skin.

This is my second 15ml pot and it really does last a good 4-6 weeks of using it everyday and it is most definitely one that I would consider purchasing once I have used up my current cream and I would quite happily make my way through the rest of the range, knowing how good this cream is.

Vichy Idealia is available for dry skin and normal/combination skin, it contains fortifying Vichy Thermal Spa Water. It is Paraben-free and suitable for sensitive skin and it costs between £14-£22 online.

Have you tried anything from this range? Is there anything you would really recommend?

Bodhi and Birch Neroli Lucé Revitalising Face Oil

Facial oils have become something if a fascination to me, ever since I was first introduced to them by balance me a good few months ago.  As something with combination skin leading towards the oily side, I never would have imagined that I could use a face oil, always believing that it would leave my skin looking more like an oil slick than ever before, turns out I was very wrong about that and infact my skin reacts really well to all of the oils I have tried so far.

Bodhi is a company I am slowly learning about as I make my way through some of their products. Having fallen for their Mint The Refreshing Bath and Shower Therapy which I've shared HERE, I have equally become quite fond of the product I am sharing with you today and that is the Neroli Lucé Revitalising Face Oil.

Described as follows:

Revitalise and rebalance with skin-toning Tunisian Neroli, rejuvenating Frankincense and restorative Sea Buckthorn oil.

Instantly absorbed to nourish and hydrate skin leaving it toned and radiant without feeling greasy. Vital vitamins, antioxidants and essential fatty acids help revive a lacklustre complexion, increase elasticity, boost resilience and rebalance the skin’s natural hydration system.

So as an oil it is quite surprising that it doesn't leave your skin feeling oily, that was always my fear, instead what it does is immediately absorb itself into your skin, almost on contact.  Bodhi say this oil will do many things and these are just some them:

• Combat oily zones and eradicate dry patches - well yes it does, much more than I hoped it world and my dry cheeks have been banished and at the end of a working day my nose and the rest if my tone no longer have a shine to them.
• Help to tone, tighten and refine pores - I don't have this problem anyway (I don't thin) so I can't really comment on whether it does or not
• Rebalance the skins natural hydration system - I have to say that when I do use this, my skin feels wonderfully soft and smooth all day long

The most important thing for me about this oil is the scent, no matter how good something is, if I don't like the scent of it, chances are I won't use it.  This however I do really really like the scent of, it is one of those uplifting scents that makes you go "aaahhh" as you smell it and it uses a whole range if ingredients. 

Starting with Neroli which is sourced in Tunisia, Neroli is sourced from bitter orange tees and more importantly their fragrant blossoms.  Add to that:

• Frankincense which you can most definitely smell and as an oil it helps with the general skin tone and condition while reducing oily skin, rejuvenating the more mature skin.
• Sea Buckthorn oil is used to help boost the healing of skin and help combat wrinkles
• Grapeseed Oil is a lightweight oil which absorbs super quick into the skin and it helps encourage the production of elastin and hyaluronic acid.  It is also said to help the skin retain firmness and you fullness for longer
• Apricot Kernel Oil is known for its abilities to soothe and nourish the skin wilts helping it to retain elasticity and suppleness, not to mention the fact it is rich in 6 Vitamins including A, and E
• Jojoba which helps to balance your sebum production, unclog pores and is anti-inflammatory to boot.
• Finally there is Evening Primrose Oil which helps to restore brighteness to the skin without clogging your pores.

Naturally there is more information to be had about each and every one of those ingredients which can be found online.

The oil itself is exactly that, it is an oil and it has a similar constituency to Olive oil and on your skin, which is likely to be quite warm it can become quite runny, so with that in mind, one squirt of the pump is more than enough to cover your entire face.  The instructions for using this oil are that you should use it both morning and evening after cleansing and toning and massage one to two pumps over the face, blending from your décolletage up to your forehead. You can also use this oil under make-up to help even out your skin tone and reduce the mid-day shine.

Again it has this quite striking orange colour to the oil and as I've said, I am a huge fan of its scent, it is quite powerful when you first release some, but as you massage into the skin a the scent settles down and is really quite lovely, it is one of those scents that would make the most amazing distressing candle to burn when you need some time out to relax and forget about whatever it was.

If like me you were and still are sceptical as to whether it not facial oils would work for you, I can only urge you to reach out and try one, I am so glad I did because it gives me a whole new field of products to use and this one in particular is especially wonderful and is one I wouldn't hesitate to purchase for myself (after making my way through the rest of the range).

If I have managed to convince you to try this product then you can find this amazing oil for £32 (for 15 ml) on the Bodhi website.

Have you tried Bodhi? What did you think?