August Empties

*cheers* So we've made it to September, can you believe it?! The start of a new month can only mean..another empties post! It's a smaller one this month, but have some favourites in there for sure..

Hair..

1. Asda Dry Shampoo - Honestly the best dry shampoo I have ever used! It's only £1, actually refreshes my hair without leaving white marks, smells clean and I generally find it works alot better than the famous Batiste! Repurchase? Yes!
2. TRESemme Deep Cleansing Shampoo - What I call my treat shampoo (known as a Sunday shampoo to some) It works an absolute treat when I've gone a few days of just dry shampoo, back-combing and hairspray. It's also suitable for every day use, and I agree.. it doesn't strip your hair at all.. but makes it feel free from EVERYTHING. Repurchase? Yes!
3. TRESemme Keratin Smooth Deep Treatment Masque - My treat conditioner.. I usually would use this after having used the cleansing shampoo. I originally bought this when I had my micro ring extensions, as every day conditioners didn't really cut it. I thought it was shit cause it didn't really work, but as soon as I had them taken out and used it on my natural hair.. wow, I saw a BIG difference/ improvement. Repurchase? Yes.

Make up..

1. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream - I actually used 3 of these samples up because I loved it that much! It felt so light on my skin, yet it really did even it out my complexion. Repurchase? Yes.

2. UNE Skin-Glow Foundation - Again, I really liked this.. I'm always sceptical when I open foundation samples as they always seem to be really dark! But this was perfect, the coverage was light to medium and very buildable. Felt a little heavy on my oily skin and I found was that it smelt like play dough.. Repurchase? I think it's only available via fragrance direct now, but probably not.

Body/ Misc..

1. Premier Luxury Collection Dead Sea Minerals Hand And Body Cream - I got this in a set from my sister and was really impressed.. It's a big tube so I never thought I'd singly use it as a hand cream as I have so many already. I used it as a normal body moisturiser, it had everything I like in a body lotion... It smelt amazing, a little went a long way and it sunk in really quickly. It was slightly greasy to the touch, but if you put it on before bed it would be gone by the morning (Not that it felt that bad, but you'd want to wash your hands after applying it..) Repurchase? Probably not as It's quite pricey and not readily available.
2. Boots Epsom Salts - I heard MissBudgetBeauty say she heard NikkiPhillippi mention these were good for aches and pains, so sensitive old me grabbed a pot and shoved them in my bath as I'd heard to use them (although the directions say they're for oral use) and I have to say.. they did absolutely nothing! Luckily they were only like £2 so I didn't waste that much on them. Repurchase? No.

Collective beauty haul

Evening all (is it evening? I don't even know, I'm getting ahead of myself and writing this up a few days in advance as I've been slacking so much recently). Get comfy, it's a big'un (Tehe)...... 

(Does this ^ not excite you)

No7 Beautiful Skin Wipes - £2 each with No7 Vouchers
Boots essential wipes - £1.50
Mini Sanctuary Illuminating Moisture Lotion SPF 15 - £2.99

Another mini Sanctuary product, the Body Moisture Spray (Ultimate time saver if it works) - £2.50

Dirty Works Coconut caress body wash (Sainsbury's) Was around £2-£3 But I'm unsure as it was on sale and i had my staff discount on it.
Hawaiian Tropic Protective Sun Lotion SPF 15 - £6.29

TRESemme Cleanse & Replenish 2 in 1 - £2.99
Colgate Max White One Mouthwash - £1.99 I think.
Boots Epsom Salts - £1.25
Listerine Total Care Clean mint mini mouthwash - FREE (The mini's were 3 for 2)
Nivea Sunshine essentials kit (Post to come) - £10.20
Yankee Candle Sampler in Mandarin Cranberry - £1.70

No7 Stay Perfect Nail Polishes in Jammy and Daisy Darling.

And the bag was a free gift for buying two cosmetic products, which included the Airbrush away primer 10ml, Triple Protection Tinted Moisturiser SPF 15 10ml, Full sized high shine lip gloss with SPF 15 in Coral Kiss, Mini Extreme Length mascara (waterproof version) and finally a single eyeshadow with no colour name.

Rimmel Fix & Perfect Pro Primer - £4.98 (Savers)
Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair - £4.19 (Although this is a gift so not sure why I included it haha)
Collection Hot Looks Nail Polish in Bongo Beat - FREE when you spend £4 on Collection.
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Darling - On offer for £5.99 (Usually £7.99)

DIY: Re use your glossy boxes ..

Hello my lovelies..
This is going to be another kinda DIY style post, hope you like it :)

I'm not going to lie, I'm quite the 'box whore' .. I just love storage and empty cardboard boxes etc, but It's starting to get a little crazy and it's my sisters birthday today so thought I'd show you how I finally got shot of one of these boxes without having just just throw it away (This obviously works with any box, but I seem to have a few of these empty Glossy Box postage boxes laying about.


Right, what you will need:

1. An empty box

2. Some kind of packaging material (The annoying shredded paper that comes in Glossy boxes)

3. Your chosen gifts.

Simply throw in the packaging material..

Then arrange your gifts how ever you like.. (I could of done with more shredded paper to keep it all how it is in the photo, as when she opened it, it was more of a lucky dip.. but that's always a fun idea too!)

The finished article.. yay! A big happy 22nd birthday to my sister!

(I do not mean to patronise anybody by the way, just thought I'd share..)

July Empties

Afternoon, It's the 1st of August which means I'm on time for my empties this month (yay) 

I'm still having a few issues with this windows 8 melarky, I went to edit my photo's but only half of them are showing in the album I put them in but If I go straight to the album they're all there.. So confused. So excuse the mess of this post and slight lack of focus in the first photo.

I'm not going to try explain any of these, don't worry.

1. Chanel Coco Mademoiselle EDT -  One of my all time favourites. Repurchase? Yes.
2. Gucci by Gucci EDT - Used to quite like this, but come to realise It's slightly on the maturer side. Repurchase? Not right now.
3. Victor & Rolf Flowerbomb EDP - My other favourite, sadly it's a pricey perfume but there's reason behind that (GO SMELL IT!) Repurchase? Already have.

1. L'oreal Preference Hair dye - This was in my June Empties. Repurchase? Yes.
2. L'oreal preference condition (came with the dye) - Love love love this stuff, I've always been a massive fan of the conditioners that come with hair dye. Does the job and makes my hair super soft, I can't comment on the colour nourishing aspect as I never find my hair fades that much when I dye it. Repurchase? If it was available to buy on it's own then yes!

.

1. The Body Shop Shea Shower Cream - I'm not a big fan of shower creams in general, I'm more of a gel kinda gal. Despite the scent (my favourite in TBS) it didn't do anything for me, it barely lathered up so I gave up around half way and just started pouring it in my baths. Repurchase? No.

2. Thierry Mugler Alien Shower Gel - Again, I'm not a fan of bath/ body products that come with perfumes. Luckily this was only a sample, but at least I know I don't like TM's Alien now. This gel just smelt like they'd poured some of the concentrated purfume in and it was way too strong for me. Repurchase? No.

3. Superdrug Cranberry & Pomegranate Body Lotion - I have a whole review on this lovely stuff, which you can read here to save me rambling. Repurchase? If I could ever find it!

4. Superdrug Cranberry & Pomegranate Body Polish - This was not as much of a winner for me as the body lotion, the only 'scrubby particles' were seeds, which weren't very exfoliating at all. Repurchase? No.

1. Soap & Glory The Breakfast Scrub - Yummmm! I'd call this a medium exfoliant, it's not too limp but it's not harsh, and well it smells amazing (Not quite like breakfast though, don't let the name fool you).
2. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter - I'm not sure the name quite suits on this, I wouldn't call it a body butter but neither would I call it a lotion.. it's somewhere inbetween. None the less, it's a beautiful product. Obviously being from S&G it smells divine! Which only makes me want to use it more to be honest. It's quite greasy though and does leave a slight 'residue'. Repurchase? Probably.
3. Boots essentials Cleansing Wipes (Fragrance free) - I bought these for when I went on holiday in May, I did bring a cleanser but I knew I'd be way too lazy to use it every day. They were okay, face wipes are face wipes aren't they? Although they did slightly irritate my eyes which sucks but I know I have pretty sensitive skin so I half expected it. Repurchase? As a quick fix, yes.
4. Garnier Wake me up Moisture Match - This one is targeted for dull skin, which I'd say I had.. but it didn't work for me as I also have oily skin and this felt so siliconey and greasy. Repurchase? No.

The last two I promise ..

1. Garnier Mineral Fresh 48 hour Anti Perspirant - This is absolutely the worst deo I've ever bought/ used. 48 hours my arse! I'm hardly a sweaty person, and it barely lasted an hour! I'm not saying I started smelling or anything, but if i'd used it in the current weather we have or to go to the gym .. I'd be very concious! I used most of it up just after I had evening showers or baths just to use it up. Ofiically I haven't fully used it, but I can't bare to look at it any longer! Repurchase? If you didn't know by what I just said, NO!
2. Avon aroma relax room and linen spray - All this is is a lavender scented spray (which apparently is meant to make you relax) I can't say it really does, it's quite an overpowering scent that would only keep me up to be honest. But it was nice as a room spray. Repurchase? Yes, already have.

 You know the drill, if you have an 'empties' post, leave me the link! It's my favourite kind of YouTube video/ blog post! Hope your all having a lovely day..

Organic Surge Haul

Afternoon beautiful (yes, you!) .. I have a little haul for you here, I ordered this mid June but never got round to taking photo's for a haul. If you follow me on Instagram (allthesimplethingsxo) you would know I finally fixed one of my blogging problems and bought a new laptop :D It's on windows 8 though so I'm really struggling to get used to it hence this taking so long. Anyway.. to the haul!

I told you it was a little one..

First class mask - £8.49
Daily care face wash - Reduced from £5.49 - £2.74
Blissful daily moisturiser - £8.49
Kiss & Make up wipes - Reduced from £3.49 - £0.87

I've tried and loved the BDM so wanted to grab another tub/jar and it was free shipping over £20 I think so I thought I'd treat myself as my birthday had just been. Have to say though, I'm not very keen on the smell of the face wash.. but I shall report back if and when I use it.

I have another collective haul coming up soon (with 2 parts) so stay tuned!

June Empties

I will get back into blogging properly soon.. This blog isn't just for 'Empties', as it seems lately.

Anyway, lets get on with the show


Hair..

1. L'oreal Preference Hair dye - Tried this for a change instead of the 'nice n easy' ones and wanted to go slightly lighter anyway, so just grabbed a box and didn't look back. + I love the way it has turned out. Repurchase? When my roots need doing, yes.

2. Superdrug Heart On Your Sleeve Dry Shampoo - This dry shampoo smelt lovely, just like holidays and cocktail.. but sadly didn't do too much for my hairs state of cant-be-bothered-to-shampoo-ness. It sadly just made my hair feel a bit powdery. Repurchase? No. 

Make up etc.. 

1. Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation - One of my all time favourites.. I bought it a few years ago when it was all the rage and It broke me out to start with, but after a few uses it was fine. It's a light to medium coverage, but that's perfect for me day to day. Repurchase? Yes as I'm dying to see what to new one is like.

2. Garnier Shine Be Gone Moisture Match - Aimed at Combination Oily skin (Not that you can tell by the name) I wouldn't say it was mattifying in any way nor did it control shine. It did smell pretty nice though. Repurchase? Probably not.
3. No7 Stay Perfect Nail Polish in Milan - I'm not really sure what to say about this.. apart from if you can get hold of it, do! It's such a lovely colour and it's shiny without being glittery (Which when it comes to removal is a bonus.)

4. L'oreal Super Liner - My now all time favourite eye liner, I got in to liquid eye liner towards the end of last year and this has served me a very good 6-8 months. As I have oily lids it's staying power isn't brilliant, but with an eye primer underneath it lasts as long as I need it to. Repurchase? Yes.

Misc.. 

1. St Moriz Self Tanning Mousse in Dark - Not much I can say about this that you haven't probably already heard. Although a couple of things I find different to other people, it doesn't dry my skin out and it doesn't transfer (Maybe my skin is just super absorbent or something) So if your looking for a budget self tanner, I'd definitely give this a go, but I recommend putting some kind of rubber/ latex gloves on under your tanning mit so you don't get grubby paws!!
2. Sainsbury's Little Ones Fragrance Free baby wipes - Not alot to say about these really, I used them to clean my desk and mascara wands etc. I did on a few lazy occasions use them to remove my make up, but my sensitive skin wasn't too impressed. Repurchase? Yes.
3. Boots Therapy Relaxing Bath Essence - As you may or may not know, I love own brand bubble baths.. but this did not live up to my usual Asda/Tesco/ etc.. standards sadly. Maybe I just didn't enjoy the scent.. I dunno. But if asked would I, Repurchase? The answer would have to be no.
4. Dr. Bronner's Magig Soap (Citrus Orange) - I tried this as a a shower gel, but it was very much like a soap and dried out my skin (I know that sounds silly given the name but hey thought i'd try it) So I just decided to use it as a pre cleanse when washing my make up brushes, which worked a treat!! Repurchase? Yes.

5. Dove Original Deo - Written about in nearly all my empties. Repurchase? 100x yes.
6. Veet Hair Removal Cream for sensitive skin - Again, not much I can say really.. it works haha. The only bad thing I have to say is the smell.. and i think this goes for most hair removal creams.. they smell like perming lotion (EWW!) But yes, as it says on the packaging.. it  even works on super short hairs! Repurchase? Maybe, but using a boots version this time round (Spolier - It doesn't smell like perming lotion! :D)

Rambling's about rubbish over, hope this wasn't too boring..

April + May Empties.

Here I am, late as usual.. (I wish I had a camera and laptop that would work at the same time!! - A whole other story) Alas, I present you with my empties of the last two months..

Hair..

1. Bed Head Hard Head - One of my favourite hairsprays of all time! It can make quite the mess if you use it too close, but none the less I loved it and It lasted forever! Repurchase? Yes.
2. Pantene Pro-V Volume & Body Hairspray - I was very happy with this, I bought it on a wim just so I had a softer hairspray than the bed head, and I can't complain. Repurchase? Yes.
3. Tresemme Instant Refresh Dry Shampoo - Not the best dry shampoo in the world, It worked to an extent but have definitely used better. Repurchase? No.

4. Clairol nice'n easy Colourseal Conditioning Gloss -  Hair dye conditioner, to you and me. I absolutely love this stuff! I never use it as directed as a once a week conditioning treatment .. but on the odd occasion I do use it, wow! All I can say on that matter. Repurchase? As I buy hair dye all the time, yes!

Skin care..

1. Tesco 100% Cotton pads - Just your average cotton pads really, I've spoke previously about the Tesco Value ones and I find these are exactly the same yet more expensive yet I haven't been able to find the value ones in any Tesco recently *sad face* Repurchase? Yes.
2. Simple Kind To Skin Soothing Facial Toner - I find this brilliant as an all rounder, to refresh your face of a morning or after cleansing, for taking make up off (Including mascara). Repurchase? Yes.
3. Skin Therapy Gentle Cleansing Facial Wips (for sensitive skin) - I'm generally not a fan of using wipes to remove my make up (unless I'm feeling very lazy) When I used the first few I found they were far to soap'y for my face so disregarded them completely and just used them to wipe my window sills down etc.
4. Aesop Facial Hydrating Cream + Oil Free Hydrating Serum - Both were very nice to use and I have a few more samples left, but I can't say they left me wow'ed. Repurchase? Probably not.

Body..

1. Garnier Intensive 7 Days Ultra Softening Lotion - Can't say I'm that Impressed with the claim as I am about the product itself. I got the dry to extra dry skin one even though I have normal skin on my body as I had my doubts, and I was even right then.. Okay fair enough I didn't use it twice daily for 4 weeks, but I shouldn't have to do that, or maybe their claim should be altered slightly?! The Lotion itself was lovely, was fast absorbing, smelt good and made my skin feel super soft (Until I had my next shower) Repurchase? Yes.
2. Dirty Works Supreme Cream Body Butter - Sainsbury's answer to Soap&Glory, no?! Minus the different scent, it was a lot like the famous Righteous Butter and about half the price. Repurchase? Yes.

Make up..

1. Rimmel X10 Volume Flash Mascara (Waterproof) - I bought this a very long time ago as I just wanted to try a new waterproof mascara for holiday, and I wasn't that impressed.. I found it to be quite clumpy and annoying, so I threw it to the back of my drawer and forgot about it till just recently. I got all my mascara's out to see if they'd dried up etc. This was one of the ones that hadn't so I put them all in a mug on my dressing table to force me to use them up and I used it again, and was soooo happy! It finally was working how I'd liked it to have all those months ago! *HAPPY FACE* And It wasn't going to leave my lashes without a fight so thumbs up on the waterproof front. (Story over) Repurchase? When all my others have been used, yes!
2. Rimmel Match Perfection 2-in-1 Concealer & Highlighter - In my eyes, this product is utter perfection! I never got on with the collection stupidly-long-named-lasting perfection-concealer. I find this does a better job, it's nice a light but still conceals. And does a good job at brightening those area's that need a little something something. Repurchase? If you saw my previous post 'Make Up Surgery' You'd know I don't need to just yet, but definitely will in the future.

Misc.. 

1. Colgate Sensitive Whitening Tooth Paste - I'm not too fussy when it comes to tooth paste as long as it leaves my breath nice and fresh! I do prefer it to be a sensitive one as I do suffer quite a bit with sensitivity. I found this to be okay, but didn't help my teeth much. Repurchase? Maybe.

2+3. Dove Original Deodorant - My favourite deo ever! If you look at my other empties posts you'll know that for sure! I was very happy when they brought out the 'compressed' one's at Sure, Dove and Vaseline.. they're so handy for travelling! and they actually stand up in my 'every day crap drawer' Repurchase? Yes, a million times over.

The other bits I didn't get to throw in;

2 bubble baths, both the Radox Moisture Soak (The pink one) - Love love love! But I find the Asda's own 'pink one' is near enough the same and you get more for you money. Repurchase? No, both were gifts which is the only reason I had them.
2 Different Impereal Leather shower creams - They were on offer at the time, but I tend to prefer gels of creams (With the exception of Soap & Glory Clean on me). Repurchase? No.
A mini Soap and Glory Clean on me - I absolutely loved this, even though it's a cream rather than a gel it still lathered up a dream and smells amazing as I'm sure your all already know!! Repurchase? Yes yes yes!!
 

One last random thing;
Benadryl Allergy Relief - I bought this as me and my boyfriend were off on holiday and I know I tend to suffer with skin irritation (Heat rash) on most if not all holiday's. As expected I got it, head to toe.. red, ichy, sore and a general pain in the arse! More so when the pills I was taking to atempt to help it, didn't work.. I used it after a day in the sun and in the morning as a prevention. But neither seemed to work. I just don't think they had a high enough level of antihistamine in them sadly. Repurchase? No.