Goodbye Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise

Okay, seriously not impressed with Jo Malone right now. I've had confirmation from their staff that they are discontinuing my all time fave Vanilla & Anise fragrance. 

Once the stock runs out in stores - it's finito! That means bye-bye to the fragrance, the bath oil. the candle... the whole shebang. To say I'm devastated (dramatic much?!) is an understatement.

The poor girl at Jo Malone couldn't apologise enough, as she broke the news to me. I knew something was afoot, as I couldn't find the bath oil on the website.

She said this wasn't the only fragrance that was being discontinued and I'd like to be able to tell you what the others were, but I kind of stopped comprehending information when I heard her say "Oh sorry, Vanilla & Anise is being discontinued" 

These are indeed sad times *cue stockpiling* 

Buy it!

Aveda Botanical Kinetics travel kit (includes purifying creme cleanser, liquid exfoliant, skin firming/toning agent and hydrating lotion) - Like most beauty addicts, I find myself permanently stalking Caroline Hirons blog. What she doesn't know about skincare is probably not worth knowing!  Anyway, Mrs Hirons mentioned these Aveda goodies as being good quality skincare at a decent price point, so when I spotted them in Debenhams with 10% off, I thought I'd give them a try. I'm really enjoying the collection as a whole, particularly the toners and my skin is looking pretty darn good as a result of it.  I'll report back after a bit more usage, but so far so good.

Armani Code Luna EDT and Kate Walsh Boyfriend EDP - I'll let you into a little secret - if I haven't worn one, I've worn the other - all month long! Talk about being a creature of habit and I'm not usually like that at all - especially when it comes to perfume!  Even though I usually like to ration my usage of Boyfriend as you can only get it in America (it's a a given that I will be stocking up while I'm on holiday) I've been using it like a crazy woman.  As for Luna, Boots.com  writes it up as: a "vanilla eau de toilette", fresh and floral, leaving a mesmerising wake. To lead in, bright citrus-like and sparkling bergamot notes, green accents of bitter orange essence, and a pear chord, crisp as fresh fruit. At its core, the orange blossom absolute - the real olfactory signature of Code Luna - combines with a stunning "moonflower", filmy and light as air. With the botanical name EphiphyllumOxypetalum, it thrives in areas of light and shadow. Cultivated in India, legend has it that it only opens and flowers during the full moon. Rare and mysterious, its whiteness is a reflection of its purity; it grows and blooms to its fullest in the moonlight. Doesn't that sound right up my street? Well that explains why I've used it to death this month.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector (combo to oily) -  as I've mentioned thanks to the new Aveda skincare, I've been having a pretty decent skin month.  So I've rediscovered the Miracle Skin Perfector as a daily base.  Is it a miracle? No! Does it perfect? Not entirely, but it does give a nice amount of (light) coverage and keeps the oil at bay.  I've also found it to be a nice mixing base. A few times over the month I have used it in conjunction with other foundations to great effect. What is not to like?  

Nivea in shower body moisturiser (dry skin) - when I heard about this I instantly wanted to give it a try.  While I love a gloriously thick body butter as much as the next person, there are times when I don't want to feel like a butter basted chicken!  I use my shower gel of choice and then slap this all over and rinse.  I've been using the dry skin version and I've certainly noticed a massive difference in the condition of the skin of my upper arms and elbows.  I think this is really great concept that can slot into your routine with minimal fuss. This product is genius. Hey, I'm busy/lazy (delete as appropriate) so it's winner for me.  Of course, there's also something very nostalgic about the scent of Nivea that reminds me of my childhood and that is never going to be a bad thing.

Epic Empties: Part 3!

Here's the final instalment of my empties post. It's been another bumper month and I'm getting such a weird satisfaction from using things up! It's the simple pleasures, isn't it?!

Philosophy Coconut Frosting 3 in 1 shower gel - I do really love these shower gels. Whatever scent that's currently in season, I'm a fan. This was a massive bottle and the summery coconut scent was divine. I think I'll always have some of these in my collection. Definite repurchase! 

L'Occitane Verbena Shower Gel - this came from a TSV and I didn't think I was going to like this. Citrus just isn't my thang, but I really did enjoy this. The scent was very invigorating and especially good in the mornings. 

The Body Shop Moringa shower gel - I'm not a floral girl by any stretch of the imagination, but I really did enjoy the Moringa scent. I think I got this huge size in the January sales for about a fiver. Bargain. I think I'd consider a repurchase in future.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleanser - woah mama! This giant cleanser (all 946.2mls of it!) has been with me for YEARS. Without a word of a lie. Years!! I've obviously used other cleansers in the meanwhile, but I always knew I could rely on Purity. This gets your skin clean without feeling too harsh. I'll probably revisit this in the future, but for now I'm playing the field ;-)

Vichy Nomaderm Tri Active cleanser - I reviewed this a while back. I love that you can use it as a cleanser and mask. I personally don't think it's scrubby enough for a scrub, but for some people it might be just fine. I've already bought another one. Thumbs up from me.

Clarisonic nourishing care cleanser - came free with my Clarisonic. Nice enough. Wouldn't repurchase though, nothing special in my opinion. 

DHC cleansing oil - I love a cleansing oil. However, I'm not sure if I'm madly in love with this one. It's pretty run of the mill and doesn't really compare to the Origins Clean Energy. Will not repurchase.

Elemis Pro Collagen Marine Cream - love!  Have a few other pots ready to roll.

Bath & Body Works Winter Candy Apple PocketBac - you know I love these, although this scent kind of reminds me of Tixylix cough medicine! I already have others to use.. Of course! 

B.Pure Micellar water - nice enough. Nothing earth shattering. Won't repurchase.

Bath & Body Works Pink Chiffon shower gel - love this scent as its so super sweet. Will repurchase when I'm back at B&BW!

Alpha H Gentle Daily Exfoliator- I'm sorry to say that I really disliked this. It's a powder that you make into a paste and apply to your face. I really don't think it does anything and I hated the scent! It smells like dust (if you know what I mean?!) Not a fan. Won't repurchase. 

Batiste Tropical dry shampoo - use these all the time. Like this scent. Will always repurchase.

The Body Shop Moringa Beautifying Oil - told you I love this scent. I also love body  oils so this is a win/win. I've already repurchased.

The Sanctuary Pore Refining Toner - I like this toner and I like that its in a spray bottle. Might repurchase again. 

No7 Total Renewal scrub - I used to hold this scrub up against all others. But since attempting to use this one up, I noticed it was making my face sting a bit. Weird, because its never done that before. I've no moved onto the Botanics version which is cheaper and isn't stinging my face! Won't repurchase for the time being. 

L'Occitane ultra rich hand and body wash - LOVE! Smells like newborn babies (which I like, but you may not!) I have another one on the go as I type.

Ojon Restorative Shampoo and Conditioner - really like this combo. Its quite expensive but I'll probably buy it again when it's on offer. 

Elemis Skin Nourishing shower cream - again, this smells like newborn babies! Lovely comforting scent. Got this from a TSV and might consider an individual repurchase.

Philosophy I'm dreaming of white pear 3 in 1 shower gel - same as the Coconut Frosting, mmmm I love pears. 

Phew! That's it for now. My beauty bin is currently empty. But I'm already deciding what to focus on and use up in July. I really do need to try and include some make up in there, don't I?! 

QVC Beauty TSV's July 2013

Thursday 4th July - Look Good, Feel Good

Saturday 6th July - L'Occitane: Beauty en Provence

Sunday 7th July - SUPER SUNDAY over 30 TSV's including Elemis, ybf, Philosophy, Rituals, Utan, Leighton Denny and Omorovicza

Tuesday 9th July - Beauty tools and accessories

Sunday 14th July - bareMinerals

Tuesday 16th July - In the Salon with SBC

Saturday 20th July - Liz Earle - Naturally Active Skincare

Happy Shopping!!!!

Epic Empties - part two!

While I was cleaning out a few things, I noticed that quite a few of my lip stain pens had dried out. Sad, but I've had them for quite a few years, so I'm not too traumatised. 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip stain and balm in Passion - I love lip stains. I'm a massive fan of low maintenance lip looks. Love this colour, but as with all of these pens, they dry out in the end. Probably wont repurchase this one as Revlon knock it out of the part with their (newish) Kissable Balm-stains!! 

Josie Maran Magic Marker lip and cheek stains in Jitterbug (hot pink) and Jive (orangey coral) - I purchased both of these from the Sephora in Times Square NYC. And what a trip it was!! I really enjoyed both of these colours, Jitterbug slightly more. I'll be honest, I never used them on my cheeks, but fhey wore pretty evenly and lasted a decent time. I'll have a look at these when I'm back in the States, even though they are pretty expensive. Who knows, a repurchase might be on the cards! 

Max Factor Lipfinity Liptint in 02 - I wasn't a massive fan of this colour on me and to be honest the MF stains wear off me in an odd way. They leave that weird ring around my lips.  I probably won't repurchase.

Josie Maran GOGO mascara - another nice JM product that came from the Lash Stash. Made my lashes very separated, although not massively volmumising in my opinion. I'm not as huge fan of those traditional wands, but a good everyday mascara. Might consider a repurchase one day. Maybe.

Fairydrops mascara - another Lash Stash product.  I liked the wand on this one although I can't say I noticed anything amazing. It's certainly no Benefit They're Real! That's for sure.  Again, may consider a repurchase one day. 

Diesel Loverdose EDP - my love for this fragrance is well document on this blog. Although it wasn't something I planned to fall in love with, I wouldn't be without it. So many lovely compliments from people when I wear this perfume. I've also found this to be an exceptionally good layering scent - much like its high end twin, Jo Malone Vanilla & Anise (which I also adore!!). I have bottles on standby that were gifts and I can't see myself neon without this, so it's a dead cert that I'll repurchase. 

The final empties instalment will feature hair care, skin care and body care. Keep a look out... 

The return of the Epic Empties - part one

All I ever seem to post about anymore are empties and QVC - and even that's infrequent of late - so why change the habit of a lifetime! ;-)

Seriously, as I'm feeling the urge to blog I thought I'd start off with something I can do from my iPhone. I get too wound up with mechanics of blogging and need to get back to basics. Put simply, I'm interested in Beauty stuff and talking to like minded addicts about beauty stuff. Simples. So that is what I am going to do.

So today, I am going to chat about my empties *roll eyes* (a small selection of my massive stash which will probably have to feature in seperate posts), but I do have other things in the pipeline, I promise... And so we begin:

JLo Miami Glow perfume - this has been in my collection for years. It's a inoffensive summer scent that has a slight coconut tinge to it. I'm not sure ill buy it again, but I have enjoyed using it.

Gucci Guilty EDP - another scent I enjoyed and I got lots of compliments wearing this. Warm, classy, I will repurchase.

Garnier Dark Spot Corrector - smelled nice but did nothing for me. Won't repurchase.

bareMinerals Well Rested - I never really got the hang of this. Is it an eye brighter? Is it a concealer? I have another sample pot to use, so if anyone has any ideas how to use then please let me know. Undecided about this, but we'll see.

ByTerry Baume De Rose - easily the most luxurious lip balm I've ever owned and I'm a lip junkie! This was a gift from Nic many moons ago and has long since been my bedtime lip balm. This lightly rose scented balm smooths dryness away overnight. Would I buy it? Probably not. Rose isn't my fave scent and I think it's a tad overpriced. Lovely, but overpriced.

Cutex Nourishing nail varnish remover - this was okay, it did the job, but I can't say I noticed it was particularly nourishing. Might consider repurchasing.

Leighton Denny Miracle Mist - does what it says on the tin.  Will probably repurchase at some point in the future.

Pout Liquid Highlighter in Love Glow - this has been hanging around for years too. Probably as long as the JLo Miami Glow! Made a concerted effort to use it up. I'm not even sure you can buy this anymore! Not sure I would anyway, there are others I like better (Benefit High Beam) 

Origins A Perfect World antioxidant moisturiser - this was a freebie from Origins when I recycled an old pot. How nice! I liked this, but kept it for nighttime as it made my combination skin a little oily for daytime use. Might buy it some time in the future.

Origins Spot Remover - another fairly ancient product! I can never really tell if this works or not. Maybe it's just a placebo. Who knows! Probably not going to repurchase.

B&BW PocketBac in Apple Lavender - you know I love these. I'll always have them on my person!! End of story.

So that's it for now, but it's certainly not the end of my empties!!  I'll be back for part two.. Part three... Part four... You get the idea! 

QVC June 2013 Beauty TSV's

Oops! Just realised that I'd forgotten to post this...

Tuesday 11^th June – Judith Williams Skincare

Thursday 13th June – Ultrasun Professional Sun care

Saturday 15th June – In the Salon with Gatineau

Monday 17th June – OPI Professional Nailcare

Thursday 20th June– Perricone MD Skincare

Monday 24th June – Meet the Beauty Experts…

Sunday 30th June– Lulu Time Bomb

 

Happy Shopping!!