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!