Archive for 2012

Beauty Blog Review Sanctuary Spa Hot Cloth Cleanser

Sanctuary Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser - £10.50 (Boots.com)

I'm a massive Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish fan, but when I recently ran out of my last bottle I wanted to try something new - no one likes getting stuck in a rut, right? There was no real reason behind me picking up the Sanctuary Spa Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser, other than it looked like a nice brand and it was slightly cheaper than Liz Earle: A 125ml Bottle of the Sanctuary Cleanser comes with a cloth (I've no idea if it's muslin) and costs £10.50, whereas the Liz Earle Starter Kit (one muslin cloth and one 100ml pump) cost £14.25.

My first thoughts when I got this cleanser was how much I liked the no fuss squeezy tube - if only Liz Earle would do something similar - well now Liz Earle do! So unfortunately no points for Sanctuary there. The Sanctuary Spa cleanser smells lovely, like chamomile and (though I don't know if it's just me, as I can't see it on the ingredients list) also smell lavender - which I love. Though different to Liz Earle I don't think it smells any nicer. I don't get that tingly deep clean feeling as much as with Liz Earle, which is a shame, but it does leave my skin feeling that tiny bit more moisturised than Liz Earle. There is a slight residue after - which is perhaps the beeswax, listed as a moisturising agent - so I sometimes quickly wipe a cotton wool pad soaked with Bioderma over my face to remove it and have a clean base for moisturising!

The cloth itself seems that bit more synthetic than the Liz Earle muslin cloth, and though nice, doesn't seem to act an exfoliator as much as the Liz Earle ones do. I tend to swap and change whether I use the Sanctuary or Liz Earle cloth depending on what type of exfoliation I'm after.

Overall I do enjoy the the Sanctuary Spa Polishing Hot Cloth Cleanser, it feels good on my skin, it won't replace Liz Earle but I'd definitely repurchase it!

Have you given these, or any other hot cloth cleanser a try? Let me know which are your favourites!

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Beauty Blog Review 17 BB Cream SPF 25 Medium

17 BB Cream SPF 25 (Medium) - £6.99 (Boots)

I'm a total BB Cream convert now. It's very rare I wear a foundation, or even a simple tinted moisturiser now. I'm not entirely sure what it is I prefer about them, I certainly haven't had fewer 'blemishes' since I've started using BB Creams! I do think that BB Creams leave my skin that bit softer though, even if I haven't noticed all the other supposed benefits that they clam to have for the skin too.

I bought the 17 BB cream purely because I needed a new one, and this was nice and cheap! I don't often buy anything from the 17 range and I thought I'd give this a go. When I first bought the BB Cream, in the shade medium, I still had that bit of summer colour left - so didn't notice any issues, but now that I'm well and truly pale, I have noticed it's a little on the yellow side. The deepness of the medium shade still doesn't cause me too many issues, the relatively thick cream does soak in nicely. You may be able to see this in the 'blended out' image above, compared to the first image of my hand you really can see how it really evens out the skin tone.

Despite being a bit disappointed with the colouring, and thinking that the 30ml bottle was a little small, I was impressed with the high SPF. With living in the UK, an SPF of 25 may be seen as over the top, but there's nothing wrong with being over protected! I do think that this high SPF might have contributed to the biggest negative for this product though - for me at least. I have a tendency to get quite oily, and after even an hour with this product on my skin I'd notice my forehead getting pretty oily :( A bit of powder quickly solves it, but I'm not the type of person to be reapplying powder throughout the day...

I'm happy to finish off the tube of the 17 BB Cream, but I don't think I'll be buying it again anytime soon, even in a lighter shade. I'm still to review it, but I'm a big fan of the L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Cream, which is really great at controlling shine, so I think I'll be sticking to that instead.

What do you think of BB Creams? Let me know if you've tried the 17 BB Cream!

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The Body Shop Christmas Gifts Blog Review

1. Vanilla Bliss Reed Diffuser (£15) | 2. Shea Butter Up Duo (£7) | 3. Ginger Sparkle Shower, Scrub & Moisturiser Collection (£15) | 4. Cranberry Joy Bath Crystals (£12) | 5. Festive Hand Cream Trio (£12) | 6. The Sparkler - Dazzling Copper (£14) | 7. Chocomania Cupcake Gift (£5) | 8. Pudding Washball (£3) | 9. Deep Sleep Dreamy Pillow & Body Mist (£10)

I've been a massive fan of The Body Shop for what seems like forever! ...Ever since I was very young and would go into just buy lip balms and those little coloured bath oil beads that you used to see everywhere! It's no secret (especially with me having a beauty blog!) that I'm pretty obsessed with skincare and always love to try new things. Christmas is my favourite time to try new products, you can use the excuse of having to go 'Christmas shopping' to get out there and hit the shops, but also winter is not kind to my skin - the cold weather really dries it out so I love to try scrumptious new products! After browsing The Body Shop on my lunch break recently I came away with a massive list of Christmas gift ideas, and a few things I'd love myself!

The Body Shop is always perfect for gift sets, it's great that you can get everything from little stocking fillers to luxurious pampering sets. I'm loving the new seasonal collection more than anything else right now! The three main Christmas scents are gorgeous, Cranberry Joy, Vanilla Bliss and my favourite, Ginger Sparkle - think Starbucks gingerbread latte bottled!

One thing I didn't realise until I visited the store recently was just how amazing the Aromatherapy Collection is at The Body Shop, they have everything from relaxing shower gels to massage oil. Top of my wishlist is the Deep Sleep Pillow & Body mist, ideal for winding down and pampering yourself over the sometimes stress holiday period! The Chocomania range is the absolute opposite! It's so amazingly chocolatey you can't help but be perked up by the yummy scent!

Have you tried any of The Body Shop Christmas Range? Is there anything in particular that you think is a must have? Check out Christmas Collection at http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/

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*This post has been written in collaboration with The Body Shop

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Expert Face Brush Blog Review

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Buffing Brush Blog Review

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Expert Face Brush

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Eyes Starter Set Beauty Blog Review

Samantha Chapman Real Techniques Eyes Starter Set Blog Review

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - £9.99

Real Techniques (Eye) Starter Set - £21.99

These aren't my first Real Techniques brushes and they certainly won't be my last! To say I'm a fan is a real understatement. I can't say I'll never look at any other brushes, but these certainly are my favourites at the moment. They have been since I bought my first set, the Core Collection, and it was the Buffing Brush from this set that spurred me on to buy the Expert Face Brush! I hadn't used anything else to apply foundation, tinted moisture or BB cream since buying the set (other than my fingers when I've been waiting for the brush to dry after being cleaned!), so thought the expert Face Brush would be a perfect back-up.

This brush is a tiny bit thicker, with bristles that seem that tiny bit shorter than the Buffing Brush. For me it means I have to work a bit harder to buff in my make-up, but it works really well when I want that bit more coverage. The Expert Face Brush won't replace my beloved Buffing Brush, which I wish was sold separately, but having had the Buffing Brush for nine months now and it still being in good shape I'm not worried about having to replace it anytime soon anyway. I'm happy that I've got the Expert Face Blush for when it's needed though.

If I'm being totally honest, I picked up the Eye Starter Set pretty much just for the Deluxe Crease Brush - after constantly the Pixiwoo ladies using it to seamlessly apply under eye concealer! It really is perfect for that! I've always just used my fingers for concealer, and even though I still do sometimes when I'm feeling a bit lazy, I've found it's densely packed brisles makes applying my Bobbi Brown creamer concealer a so much easier. Where I used to really struggle to blend this concealer in and also keep a decent level of coverage, achieving a perfect finish is now a breeze! I quite like the Base Shadow Brush for the same reason, but this is obviously also really great for shadow! I actually use this for applying crease shadows and blending more than I do the Deluxe Crease Brush. The other brushes are also really nice, I do find both the Pixel-Point Eyeliner Brush and Brow Brush a little thick for everyday make-up, but that's just my preference. The sturdy bristles are perfect for that more dramatic look!

When it comes to the the case/ holder, this is one thing that I feel is a really nice extra touch. But truth be told, I've never used it, maybe if I was a bit more organised it would get used! I don't know, what do you think??

Let me know in the comments below if you've used these brushes, what did you think?

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Beauty Blogger Products I've Used Up Empties

I've been hoarding empty bottles like a crazy person the last few weeks so that once I had a good amount I could let you guys know my thoughts. I most appreciate reading these types of posts myself. You get a true opinion from someone who has used up every bit of the product, more so than the 'I've being using this product a week now' posts... just saying.

Well, I thought I'd start with the fun stuff, products I'd definitely repurchase! I actually got the Soap & Glory Righteous Butter in a gift set well over a year ago, but only started using it this summer, having so many body creams to get through! What can I say, it smells lovely and just does the job nicely. I love using it on damp skin just after the shower, it really locks in the moisture. The same goes for Burt's Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion. I was so upset when I ran out of this sample (received in a Glossybox - post here). The body lotion is pretty much as thick as body butter, and incredibly nourishing.

The Tresemmé Glossing Spray with Argan Oil has been a joy to use and I'll definitely buy it again. I won't pretend that the Argan Oil did anything to improve the condition of my hair, but using this prior to blowdrying, and again as a finishing spray did leave my hair lovely and glossy! Tresemmé is always very affordable too, so even better

Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish, I don't even know how many times I've repurchased this product... a lot! Used with the muslin cloth it really does remove all traces of makeup and leave skin soft and smooth. You can read a full review of this, and a few other Liz Earle products, here. Despite all this I haven't actually repurchased this yet, I'm currently trying another hot cloth cleanser at the moment - so watch out for a review of that!

Another product I'm yet to review fully is the L'Oréal Nude Magique BB Cream. I've completely used this up and already repurchased! Though I'm slightly worried, I picked up my second tube in TK Maxx... don't products usually end up there if they've been discontinued?! I hope that's not the case with this product. Though I really enjoyed it, the one thing I thought was a bit dubious was the 'white to your skin colour' formula, gimmick much? You soon forget about this though and this worked really well for me as a BB Cream. Keep an eye out for a full review!

I have already reviewed the the No7 Beautiful Skin BB Cream - check out the review here. This is my second tube and I'm definitely going to be repurchasing, though next time I might try the lighter version - the medium is just that little bit dark for me now my summer tan has started to fade!

The products I wouldn't bother with again (at least for now) are the No7 Protect and Perfect Intense. Now don't get me wrong, this is a really nice beauty serum (and I actually have a second bottle in my collection) but I didn't notice any life changing effect and there are a few others that I would prefer to try first! This is my second tube of La Roche-Posay Effaclar M, after my first tube (read the full review here) I said I wouldn't bother repurchasing this moisturiser, but I obviously don't take my advise because when my skin got particularly oily again I thought I'd give it another go! I just found that I needed a more intense moisturiser, so think this will be my last tube of this formula. I'll be trying more from La Roche-Posay though.

The one product I'm umm-ing and ahh-ing about is the Caudalíe Beauty Elixer, in my full review I mentioned I enjoyed using the Elixer and loved the refreshing feel this brought on a morning, though I didn't see any real benefits to my skin. However, I'm going to France at the beginning of December... so you never what I might come back with!

Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?

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