July Empties 2014

Welcome to my July empties, I know my posts have been few and far between but I am trying to get back in sync with them, so let's get on with the show.

 First is skincare/ fragrance:

Johnson's Baby Shampoo - I use this mainly to clean my brushes as it isn't harsh with them, I have a larger bottle that I have started using now so it has already been repurchased.

The Body Shop Mango Body Scrub - I got this as part of a set for Mother's Day off of my stepson, and I am absolutely in love with it and I will be repurchasing this.

Forever Yours Purse Spray - I bought this for £3 in Superdrug just as a perfume that would fit in my bag, and it smelled so lovely.

Dove Original Deodorant (mini) - As you know in last months favourites I was reacquainted with an old friend which was the Dove original deodorant, I finished a mini as I use them for when I go on a night out as they fit into my clutch bag brilliantly.

Next is wipes

Boots Double Sided Round Cotton Wool - I love these, they are so soft on the skin especially when using with my micellar water to remove my makeup

Handy Wipes - These are fabulous I bought them from our local Home Bargains and they are just all purpose wipes and because they are small in size they fit perfectly in a handbag.

Baby Wipes - Another pack of baby wipes, I get through a lot of these as I use them on my vanity to wipe up any messes or wipe my hands from any makeup just until I get to the bathroom.

Next is cosmetics:

MUA Pro Base Fixing Mist - As you know this is my 2nd bottle of this setting spray which I would repurchase but at the moment I am trying out the Avon Setting Spray.

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara - I am gutted to say goodbye to this beauty, it is rare for me to repurchase a mascara but this one I will. It worked brilliantly on my lashes and the large brush just grabbed every one of them.

Maybelline Volum' Express The Rocket (Waterproof) - This is another mascara that I am sad to be getting rid of, it is such a lovely mascara and will be one that I am repurchasing.

GOSH Prime n' Refresh Illuminating Eye Roll On - I didn't really find that this did anything for me I loved the delivery system with the massage type balls but it just didn't work for me.

GOSH Velvet Touch Foundation Primer - As you can see from the picture the bottle is still half full, the formula just turned really watery in consistency (alarm bells telling me that this needs to go)

Collection Primed & Ready Primer - I didn't like the feel of this primer as it did feel quite greasy once applied to the skin and the price as well for the amount of product wasn't that great either.

SEVENTEEN Fade Away Concealer - I liked this concealer, but it's been dossing in the back of my drawer for a while now and has seen some better days.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dry - I love this top coat but once you get past the brush the product is just pointless and it becomes messy trying to get it out of the bottle.

Last but but not least is the Look Beauty Ooomph Lashes Mascara, it's not really finished I only just opened it a couple of days ago but when I did it was all dried out just like the Accessorize mascara, so this has put me off buying any mascaras from the Look Beauty range.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Jungle Gem - Sally Hansen

Welcome to another polish from Sally Hansen, this is Jungle Gem, a dark blue colour.

With all Sally Hansen polishes they are 7 in 1 so you don't need a top coat or bottom coat as the polish already has this in it.

The polish is highly pigmented, and goes opaque on the 1st coat (I added a 2nd coat anyway). The brush is a large flat brush and applies to the nail really well. The formula wasn't too drippy and the brush didn't take on too much of the product onto the brush.

I really loved this colour and thought it would be a good colour for Autumn, this one will be popping back out in Autumn 2014.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma

Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Base Coat

I paint my nails quite a lot, and sometimes they can become quite brittle and start to flake so I want a strengthener that will stop my nails from flaking.

I have been using this for a couple of weeks as a base coat, I also used it just on my nails when I wasn't painting them just so they weren't overloaded with nail polish and only had on something that would help them strengthen up.

This has been doing a really good job and my nails are slowly but sure coming back to a good and healthy normal.

I'll keep using this either on its own or as a base coat, overall a good nail strengthener.

Any good nail strengtheners that you have been using recently?

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Sally Hansen Insta Dry

DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own and products were bought with my own money.

I grabbed this while I was out on a shopping trip and thought I would try this out. It's the age old story, you paint your nails with 2 or 3 coats and then  you go to do something once you have been waiting ages and they smudge, well this was boasting that it could dry any nail polish in 30 seconds (very big boasts don't you think).

For the past couple of times that I have painted my nails I have been using this as a top coat (I've been using it on my mum's nails as well) and I will admit it does dry them fast, and adds a nice smooth finish to the nail.

This does only dry the top coat of the nail, and the nail can still be a bit squidy (is that a technical term). This is a bit of a con against the top coat but I would still repurchase this.


Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover

I had never really tried a cuticle remover before but I noticed this in a blog post by Vivianna Does Makeup, and thought it might be a good idea to try a cuticle remover, and see if it helped when painting my nails.

This was a big surprise to me, the remover has a gel consistency, and the applicator is just a nozzle, this allows for easy application to the cuticle.

You keep the gel on for 15 seconds and then use a cuticle stick to gently push and then remove the cuticle. Once you have finished it needs to be washed off in warm soapy water (as noted by the instructions on the back).

This is a good remover, and one I have now added to my mani routine due to the fact that the product is so easy to use and takes seconds to work.

Thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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Boots Points Haul

DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own and these products were bought using my Boots Beauty Points. I'm also not trying to brag, this is to show what I'll be reviewing in the coming weeks, and what you can buy with your beauty points from Boots.

I was sat at home and my points card starting to burn a small hole in my purse, so I thought I would go down to the local boots and spend some of my points.

So here is what I grabbed:

1. Ecotools Flat Foundation Brush - As I have started to wear foundation a lot more I only have 3 brushes and I can't deal with sponges, so I grabbed an ectools brush to add to my main collection.
2. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails - My nails are quite brittle and keep peeling so I thought some hard as nails might help strengthen them up.
3. Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer  - I saw this on Liana Beauty's youtube channel (she was doing a drugstore makeup routine)
4. Boots Essentials manicure sticks - As I've bought the cuticle remover I'll need some manicure sticks to push the cuticles back
5. 17 Eye Shadow Brush - I was looking for a concealer brush, but the one I did find was massive and while I was browsing the brush display I found this 17 eyeshadow brush and thought I would give it a go as a concealer brush until I properly went shopping next Friday.
6. Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Concealer - I found this on Beauty Junkie in London's blog, and thought I wouldn't mind trying that.
7. No7 Make Up Brush Cleanser - I've been looking or a quick fix brush cleanser for ages, and I didn't want to pay over the odds for it, this was only £8 (it was also the main thing I wanted).
8. Seventeen Stay Time Long Wear Primer - I have been using a Smashbox trial size primer and it is quite good, but I'm not going to pay the price for a full size tube so I am dipping my toes into different primers.
9. Cutex Strengthening Nail Polish Remover - I've nearly finished my Sally Hansen stregthening nail polish remover so I thought I would give Cutex a try and see what they were like.
10. Sally Hansen Instant Cuticle Remover - This was featured in a blog post on a nail care kit by Vivianna Does Makeup, and I have been wanting to try this for a while to see what it was like.

I am looking forward to trying all this out, and will review all these products soon.

thanks for tuning in

Gemma

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Haute Chocolate - Sally Hansen

DISCLAIMER: All opinions are my own and product has been bought with my own money.

This is the first time I have tried a Sally Hansen nail polish. The complete salon manicure boasts that it has a base coat, strengthener, growth treatment, colour, and a top coat all in one bottle.

Haute Chocolate on the nails

Haute chocolate is a lovely chocolately colour with a shimmer running through it. This is a lovely colour for Autumn, it reminds me of cold autumn nights snuggled up with a hot chocolate.

The brush is a flat one and when you pull the brush from the bottle you do get a lot of polish on there. The polish is also quite pigmented so even with just one coat the polish goes pigmented. (I put a 2nd coat on anyway).

The polish has all these properties in the one bottle that it does add to the drying time, I would suggest a fast drying top coat.

Overall Thoughts

I loved this polish and I think this will become one of my Autumn staples.

thanks for tuning in

Gemma
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