April 2015 Empties!

Aloha!

I don't know about you but I can't actually believe that we are now in May. There's no way we are nearly half way through 2015! Time is wizzing past me and it seems that there is little I can do to stop it, it's only a reminder that life's short and we need to grab each day by the horns! Moving on, I must admit I don't regularly do monthly empties post, which is a shame because it's a good opportunity to share with you guys what great products I have been using. So, I've decided to take the challenge and write monthly empties and favorites posts (yay, exciting things to come!)

Firstly, we have Garnier Ultimate Blend Strength Restorer, a one minute treatment for fragile hair, prone to breakage. I have long, fine hair that I need to take special care of and usually my trusty Aussie 3 Minute Miracle does the job. However, I wanted to branch out and since I liked the Ultimate Blends shampoo/ conditioner range, I thought I would give it a go! It uses honey, royal jelly and propolis to strengthen, nourish and protect from root to tip. You can tell it contains jelly, due to it's consistency. I found that I had to use more of the product than I would usually because my hair didn't seem to absorb it very well and, although it says to leave it in for one minute, I usually leave it on for about five- ten minutes to ensure I recieve the up most benefits. It did leave my hair feeling soft and smelling of sweet honey but I don't think it necessarily made my hair stronger. I did use the whole bottle although I don't think I would purchase it again. 

Next we have St Ives Invigorating Apricot Facial Scrub. Okay as most of you know this has been my favorite facial scrub for a few years now and it's no wonder because with 100% natural exfoliates it removes all the dead skin cells without damaging the surface of your skin. I wouldn't recommend using it every day as that can harm your skins natural repairing system but using it two- three times a week will leave your skin feeling fresh, soft and radiant. Moving on to Aussie Shower Smoothie, I was besides myself when I saw that Aussie were launching a body wash range! And although £2.99 seemed a bit pricey for a tiny bottle of shower gel I just had to buy it. I must admit it wasn't the magical Aussie love potion I imagined it to be, it's macadamia nut oil formula is supposed to leave your skin feeling super soft but I found it didn't lather very well and didn't make a noticeable difference to my skin. It smells nice but it could have been a boots own brand for all I knew... Personally I think Aussie should stick to what they know; hair care!

We now have The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Gel. I bought this on a whim, as I do get blemishes, and was pleasantly surprised. After finishing my night time skin care routine I just dab the gel onto the blemish. It has a soft applicator, kinda like a lip gloss, which means you can apply with precision. This isn't the product for you if you need an all over facial treatment but it's good for tackling precised areas. After the first use I found that my blemishes were slightly smaller, less red and had dried out a bit. Tea Tree is vastly known for helping with problem skin and I think it's safe to say you can't argue with mother nature! Okay so lastly, we have Muji Hinoki Wood Candle. This is my favorite candle of all time and you can only get it at Muji so last weekend me and Roneil took a trip up to London to visit the Natural History Museum, whilst we were there, we thought we'd catch the tube up to Oxford St. and of course I had to visit Muji. This hand made candle contains premium grade fragrances including Hinoki Wood. For those of you who don't know, Hinoki Wood is a sacred wood in Japan and smells devine! What I love most about it, other than it's scent, is that it fills the whole room with a luscious aroma and the entire candle melts each time so you don't waste any. Anybody who loves candles will love this and they have a range of fragrances to suit all homes. 

So there we have it, my April 2015 empties! What are yours?

Neeks ☯

February Empties!

Aloha!

End of the month already? Seems like only yesterday I was reflecting the ups and downs of 2013 and beginning to devise a plan for the new year ahead. Now, 2 months in, it's hard to believe that we're almost a quarter of the way though 2014! I'm not usually one of those people who make a big song and dance about how the new year is going to be amazing and how I'm going to fulfill all the things I wanted to do last year, but didn't. I'm more of a 'well let's just see how it goes' kinda gal but to be honest the beginning of this year has been better than I'd first imagined. I started the year by making the hard decision to withdraw from university and after that I was struggling to find over time at work now I'm delighted to say that I have a new job! Which is a huge relief and complete weight off my shoulders. 

Anyway enough life-reflecting! February seemed to be one of those months where I seemed to run out of absolutely everything, consequently I found myself stocking back up on pay day, trust me the day couldn't have come soon enough! The main things I ran out of this month are my skin care products, it's a rarity that I actually finish all these at the same time but in some ways it's more convenient. I despise having 4 or 5 different cleansers, all half empty in my bathroom, that I'll sadly but most likely never reach for. So the current skin care items I ran out of are the Nivea Daily Essentials Range. First of all It's no wonder why I ran out of the Nivea Express Hydration Primer (Click to see my review) and secondly, I've come to the conclusion that if I'm gonna have a break out It's inevitable and there's not really that much I can do about it. I'm fed up with spending money on expensive skin care items, that probably don't actually do much good, but the deceivingly legit packaging and adverts promising invisible pores, no shine and blemish free skin, presented by a beautiful fresh faced model seem to hypnotise me into buying them. And you know what? Since I've been using simple solutions and steering away from complicated regimes the quality and complexion of my skin has actually improved! So there we go. 

I also previously emptied my much loved Diesel Loverdose Body Lotion. I remember the first time I got a wiff of the perfume in Boots, of course I immediately sprayed it on myself, and asked for it for Christmas. I love it because it puts a mysterious twist on a sensual scent, with the heart notes of liquorice and vanilla it's definitely intriguing and what's more the body lotion leaves a light scent and absorbs easily, unlike a lot of perfumed body lotions. 

What did you empty this February?  

Neeks x