boots essentials lipsalve: strawberry, tinted and spearmint

 

i ran out of my favourite nivea essential care lip balm the other day and went to boots to repurchase it. for some reason i got sidetracked by a classic boots deal - 3 for 2 - and so ended up with these instead! overall, i wouldn't say i'm disappointed that i bought them (i can never ever have too many lip balms and at 99p each you can't really complain!) but they definitely don't match up to nivea! i thought i'd do a mini review of each of them anyway, just in case anyone's looking for a cheap lipsalve :)

 

the strawberry lipsalve comes out clear which generally i like as it means i can put as much as i want on without looking in a mirror and don't need to worry about what i look like. the strawberry scent is really sweet but in a good way - think haribo as opposed to over perfumed. i'd say it moisturises my lips for around an hour which isn't so bad and the pink lid is a nice colour too!

 

 

i can't really get on with this tinted lipsalve. it's a really light pink and i'm just not sure who it would suit? it's pretty much scent free which can sometimes be a good thing but even one slick of this lipsalve is too much, especially when your lips are a bit chapped and colour builds in certain areas. a bit of a shame but i'll consider this as my 'free' lipsalve and so i'm not too disappointed!

 

this is probably my favourite lipsalve of the three. the spearment scent is really yummy and quite unusual i think (at least for me - i don't think i own any mint lip balms). like the strawberry it comes out clear so is easy to use and does the job of protecting my lips pretty well.

nivea essential care lip balm

 

this has got to be one of my all time favourite lip balms. i started using it last winter as i suffer from really dry, chapped lips. i didn't read any reviews on it before i bought it, i just liked that it didn't mention any kind of scent. i do like carmex/lypsil/chapstick etc etc, but sometimes i feel that the added fruity scents can actually aggravate my lips and make them worse. as i hoped, this essential care lip balm is pretty much scent free so removes that source of aggravation.

the packaging isn't particularly luxurious looking but the blue makes it easy to find in a bag and i like that you don't have to apply it with your fingers as most of the time i find that too messy and impractical! 

the best bit about it though is the creamy formula. it really is soothing and isn't too sticky or too hard (sometimes i find that brands such as lypsil can be so hard that they're actually really difficult to apply). i have to say i get through them quite quickly though although this is entirely my fault as i probably apply it over 10 times a day! however, considering that it's only £1.65 in boots i don't see this as being much of a problem!

avene skin recovery cream - calming formula

 

 

this is one of my favourite moisturisers because of the amazing effect it has on my skin. it feels quite light and has no strong smell like the rest of the avene brand i've tried (it's aimed at sensitive and irritated skin which is probably why.)

i use about a pea-sized amount morning and evening and it doesn't leave a greasy residue as some moisturisers do. it also absorbs quickly and feels very soothing. in terms of how it makes my skin look, i'd say it was just a lot clearer and fresher than usual. in the winter i need something heavier (i usually use olay double action day cream) but this winter i'm considering just getting this moisturiser in the 'riche' version. howver, when it's not freezing cold, this works really well and as an occasional sufferer of dry skin i haven't seen any dry patches since i started using this moisturiser again!

you can purchase avene products from boots and this moisturiser costs £12.50 - well worth the money in my opinion!

no7 'beautiful skin' radiance exfoliator

 

 

i have to say that this is my first experience of no7 skincare. i find it quite surprising really because i'm always in boots and i always get the £5 off no7 products voucher. i usually do try and avoid the no7 stand after making my purchases and receiving the voucher though, as generally when i'm in boots by the time i'm on my way out i've spent enough!

anyway, this time i needed some new exfoliator and thought i may aswell try this one partly because i quite like the simple yet pretty packaging, because after using the voucher it came to £3, and also because i felt like it was time to test something other than my usual st. ives invigorating scrub.

the scent is floral but not overpowering at all so is pleasant to use, and the formula is really creamy which is likely to work well for dry skin. my skin isn't particularly dry though, especially not in the summer (i say summer, it's so wet at the moment in the u.k we may aswell be celebrating christmas...) so i don't tend to look for additional moisture in my exfoliator. 

unfortunately, i found this exfoliators main downfall to be that it just isn't exfoliating enough! if your skin is sensitive or particularly radiant already then it may work for you, but right now i'm craving my ye olde faithful st. ives scrub! this just doesn't slough away my lumps and bumps enough so i don't get that fresh feeling i expect after exfoliating.

it hasn't put me off no7 as a brand though as it is still a nice, gentle product, and i do intend to at least attempt to use it up. this may be done by leaving it at the boyfriend's as a 'just in case' product though whilst i get back into my serious exfoliating routine with st. ives! next time i get a £5 off no7 products voucher i may have a look at the make up side of things instead... always worth a go!

use it up - #1

 

so this is my first ever 'use it up' post. i generally enjoy reading other people's use it up posts as i think it's good to share thoughts on products that are worthy of completely using up and potentially re-purchasing. plus, i think it's a good idea to have a bit of encouragement to actually finish products as opposed to just finding another place to store the half empty bottles.

kiehl's - 'creme de corps'. £27.

 this body moisturiser is one of my all time favourites. i was desperate to try it so purchased some last year in new york where it's a little bit cheaper and i was feeling extravagant. it feels like rubbing melted butter into your skin (in a good way), leaves your skin feeling so soft and smells really nice, but not of anything in particular. i also love the packaging. it's so simple yet effective, and i'd love to have a kiehl's filled bathroom for this reason alone. unfortunately it's £27 for a 250ml bottle and at the moment i just don't have that kind of money to be spending on moisturiser! i'd still consider it a firm favourite though and will re-purchase as soon as possible!
 

batiste - dry shampoo (blonde). £3.99.

who isn't a fan of dry shampoo? o.k, it doesn't make your hair feel great but when you're in a rush and have long hair like mine sometimes there just isn't time to wash it in the morning. i'm naturally blonde so i bought this a while ago but have since become a brunette. although technically this means i should no longer use this product, before the batiste range became as big as it is now everyone had to use the same original dry shampoo (shock) and so i figured using this on my brown hair isn't that different. it does make my hair look slightly lighter but it isn't noticeable so i'm determined to finish this up and then invest in some of the 'medium brunette' variety.

soap and glory - 'sugar crush' body scrub. £8.

i really love this body scrub and i'm not quite sure why i haven't blogged about it before. it has the signature soap and glory smell but is slightly more tangy and so is great for getting you to feel a bit more summery whilst exfoliating off any remnants of winter. i personally feel it could be a bit more grainy (i'm not sure how good this would be for my skin, i just enjoy the feeling of freshly scrubbed skin!) but i have solved this problem by purchasing a pair of these and together they give you a great body exfoliation. the best thing is is that when the scrub runs out the gloves are still there and will do the job nicely.

boots hairspray - maximum hold. £1.62.

unfortunately, this is a case of you get what you pay for. the words 'maximum hold' enticed me in but this hairspray just doesn't cut it. it claims to be unperfumed which is untrue - it still has that slightly floral aerosol smell. it also doesn't hold the hair well at all. my hair is naturally a bit wavy so it's fine for a quick mist after straightening but only managed to hold curls done with curling tongs in place for about an hour before they dropped which is a shame. sorry boots, but despite usually pulling through with your own brand products, i won't be re-purchasing this time!

soap and glory - clean on me

soap and glory's 'clean on me' was a birthday gift and one i was happy to receive! i've used it before but for some reason i never repurchased. now, it takes pride of place in my shower and i'm thankful for it coming in such a substantially sized bottle!

it smells just like the other soap and glory products i've reviewed (hand food and the righteous butter) which is a heady combination of flowers, sweets and vanilla, and it produces a really foamy lather, especially when you use a shower puff (mine is soap and glory, naturally...) 

clean on me does leave your skin feeling soft, and despite the strong-ish scent, i'd say it was quite a gentle shower gel that shouldn't irritate sensitive skin (but don't hold me to that!) i would consider this a definite investment product when i run out, despite the price tag being a bit more than i would usually be willing to pay for shower gel. all in all, another great outcome from the soap and glory team. find clean on me at boots for £5.50.

l'oreal sublime bronze

i'm slowly emerging from my winter slump of unshaven legs and paler-than-pale skin so i thought it was about time i shared my favourite ever fake tan. i can't say i've tried many but i can honestly say there has been no need!

i discovered l'oreal's sublime bronze at a friend's party after i told the group that i was too scared to try fake tan in case i turned into an oompa lumpa (i'm quite short so adding orange skin to the mix is unlikely to be a great look...) one of the girls there who looked like she'd just been on holiday for two weeks told me that actually, she had the same skin tone as me (english rose/casper the ghost) and that her tan was down to sublime bronze. soon enough i had a go and haven't looked back since!

sublime bronze looks scarily dark when it comes out the tube but once it's spread out is a lot lighter. i use a tanning mitt - the cheapest i've found has been from primark - and make sure i rub it in until it's almost dry. it has a slight shimmer to it which may not appeal to all but i quite like it if i'm going out and if not, i make sure to tan in the evening. that way, the shimmer washes off after showering but leaves behind a golden glow.

i can't recommend sublime bronze enough for fake tan first timers as the finished product is well worth the usual fake tan risks! a little pricey aswell but a little goes a long way... find sublime bronze in boots for £13.47.